BOSTON, April 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. commission heard complaints that federal agents violated illegal immigrants' constitutional rights and treated them inhumanely during recent raids.
The lawmakers heard the testimony at a meeting in Boston of the union-backed National Commission on ICE Misconduct and Violations of Fourth Amendment Rights, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday.
Immigrant advocates complained that federal officials mistreated undocumented workers when raiding New England businesses, including a leather goods factory.
"We all understand that ICE does important work," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said during a noontime address to a crowd of more than 200 people. "But the way that they conduct workplace raids and detain people does not meet the standards of the United States of America."
The newspaper reported that after the hearing, Massachusetts Republican Party spokesman Barney Keller criticized Kerry for being out of touch with Massachusetts voters, who lose jobs to illegal immigrants.
"Middle-class Americans are consistently squeezed out of good-paying jobs by the type of policies that John Kerry advocates," Keller said.
