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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know US Affairs News India Times (February 14, 2026 - February 20, 2026) February 20, 2026 5 C ongresswoman Judy Chu, D-Cali- fornia, announced her endorse- ment February 6, of Indian Ameri- can candidate Dr. Tina Shah of New Jersey. Dr. Shah is seeking her party’s nomination and is pitted against 7 other Democrats for the primary which is scheduled for June 2, 2026. “I am excited to endorse Dr. Tina Shah for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th District. As a physician serving her community for years, Tina knows how important our fight for affordable and accessible healthcare is – and she knows how to deliver it,” Chu said in a statement carried in a press release from Shah’s campaign. “We’re both the children of immigrants, have watched our parents fulfill the American Dream, and will work tirelessly to ensure every American family has the opportunity to do the same. I look forward to serving with Dr. Shah in Congress,” Rep. Chu added. Shah said she was grateful for the sup- port of a Congresswoman who “knows how to get things done in Congress and deliver for her community. I look forward to joining her in Congress to ensure the American Dream is accessible to all.” Dr. Shah, an intensive care physician, has served in both the Obama and Biden administrations. She appears adept as a political aspirant, and raised over $1 million in just six months in 2025. She has continued to earn support from physi- cian advocacy groups, like the American College of Physicians Services PAC and the American College of Obstetrics, as well as several members of Congress, among them Rep. Dr. Ami Bera of California. Shah is a triple board-certified physi- cian and claims her firsthand experience on how rising costs, insurance denials, and political dysfunction put lives at risk, equips her for running to bring change through the legislative body. New Jersey’s Dr. Tina Shah Adds Another Important Endorsement In Her Run For US Congress From New Jersey By a StaffWriter PHOTO:@DRTINASHAHFORCONGRESS.COM PHOTO:CHU.HOUSE.GOV Dr. Tina Shah. Rep. Judy Chu, D-California. Democratic Representative Shri Thanedar Blasts Top Trump Immigration Official In Fiery Hearing, Says He ‘Better Hope’ For Pardon I n a tense and highly charged House Homeland Security Committee hear- ing on Tuesday, Democratic Repre- sentative Shri Thanedar of Michigan confronted US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott with blistering criticism of federal immi- gration enforcement, asserting that Scott and other senior officials should “hope” for a pardon from President Donald Trump given what Thanedar described as repeated violations of the law by immigra- tion agencies. Thanedar, a progressive Democrat who immigrated to the United States from India in the 1980s, pressed Scott and Acting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons dur- ing a hearing examining oversight of the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies- including CBP, ICE, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services, reported Fox News. At the heart of Thanedar’s critique were allegations of misconduct by federal im- migration officers in Minnesota, where two people, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were fatally shot by officers. Thanedar repeatedly challenged Scott and Lyons on their defence of law enforcement actions, accusing them of enabling a culture of misconduct and indifference. “You better hope you get pardoned because you will be held accountable for the absolute disregard of the law your agencies have shown over the past year,” Thanedar declared directly to Scott, rais- ing the specter of presidential pardons as a shield against legal consequences for enforcement actions that he characterized as unlawful, reported Fox News. Scott, in his response, emphasized his pride in the work of the agency, rejecting the premise that he or his officers needed a pardon. “I’m very proud of the service that I provide, and I don’t need a pardon from anybody,” he said, underscoring his view that the agency’s mission is lawful and necessary. The exchange escalated as Thanedar broadened his critique beyond the spe- cific shootings. He accused CBP and ICE agents of engaging in misconduct, alleging racial profiling, unnecessary aggression in communities, and a lack of accountability. “ICE thugs attacking our communities, targeting people for their accents and the colour of their skin,” he said, articulating a sweeping indictment of agency practices. Thanedar also used the hearing to spotlight his legislative priorities, includ- ing an effort to abolish ICE and support for impeachment proceedings against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. “ICE must be abolished,” he said, and reiterated his co- sponsorship of a bill to impeach Noem, whom he described as leading “rogue departments” within the federal govern- ment. The hearing concluded with Homeland Security Committee Chairman Represen- tative Andrew Garbarino, a Republican from NewYork, abruptly ending Thane- dar’s remarks and recessing the session after the congressman’s time expired, underscoring the deep partisan divisions on immigration policy and enforcement that persist on Capitol Hill, reported Fox News. The confrontation reflects broader national debates over immigration en- forcement practices, accountability within federal agencies, and the use of presiden- tial pardons, a topic previously raised in discussions about executive power and legal protections for government officials. -ANI PHOTO: .ANI