As the Trump administration’s sweeping illegal immigration crackdown draws pushback from some Republican lawmakers, White House border czar Tom Homan told CBS News that critics should talk to ICE and educate themselves. GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida raised eyebrows last month when she taped a campaign ad warning President Trump that Hispanic voters who helped him secure a second term feel betrayed. She said some of the administration’s tactics have gone too far, pointing to data that shows many ICE detainees lack criminal records. Other Republicans have also raised concerns, including Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia. In response to Salazar’s comments, Homan said to give him an example of where they went too far, calling it a bold statement to make. Homan said the Trump administration is still prioritizing people who it views as public safety threats, but anybody who is in the U.S. illegally is deportable by federal law. If you are in the country illegally, you have a problem and shouldn’t be here, Homan said, adding that everyone they arrest has an opportunity to see a judge and plead their case. He argued much of the criticism is about hatred for the administration and taking on Trump, pointing to ICE’s high arrest and deportation figures during the Obama administration, when Homan was a senior official at the agency. Pressed on the growing GOP criticism, Homan stated he wishes they would sit down and talk to ICE to find out what the agency is doing, how they are doing it, and educate themselves. The Trump administration has drawn scrutiny not just for the rapid surge in arrests, but also for government immigration tactics, including a series of shootings by ICE agents during traffic stops, two of which resulted in migrants being killed over the summer. Two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were also fatally shot by immigration agents during a crackdown in the Minneapolis area earlier this year. Good’s family filed lawsuits against federal officials, naming Homan as a defendant in one of them. Asked about Good’s death earlier in his interview with CBS News, Homan called the situation tragic, but noted he is not involved in the investigation into the shooting. He stated he does not want to see any tragedies happen, wishes Renee Good was alive today, and hopes such an incident had never happened, but emphasized that it is being investigated.
Source: cbsnews.com
