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Media question governors who send troops to the border
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., Discusses GOP governors sending troops to the southern border and Marvel’s new Captain America comic book, saying the growing immigration crisis “boils down to the failure of the Biden’s border policies “.
President Joe Biden’s pick to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Thursday the drop in arrests by the agency in recent months was “concerning” – while saying he wanted to act “in a way aggressive “against illegal immigrants who pose a threat to communities in the United States
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, currently Sheriff of Harris County, Texas, was interviewed by Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., During his confirmation hearing on the ICE arrests – which have declined sharply since the The agency introduced new guidelines which reduced the priority of application. for agents.
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There were 2,837 arrests in May, slightly lower than the 2,847 arrested in April, and higher than the 2,343 arrested in March and 1,985 arrested in February, according to ICE statistics.
The arrests in all of those months were only a fraction of the arrests made in the final months of the Trump administration. There were 6,804 arrests in October, 5,978 in November, 6,070 in December, then a drop to 5,117 in January.
In 2020, ICE arrested 11,865 illegal immigrants in February, 10,431 in March, 5,793 in April and 5,579 in May.
Asked by Hawley, Gonzalez said the drop in arrests was concerning, but more information was needed to assess why this is happening.
“From my experience, I would like to see more data to see what other factors may have played to better understand the numbers,” he said. “This is concerning, so I would make sure, again, that if we are strategic and prioritize properly, we can tackle the individuals who pose the greatest threat to our communities.”
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“I think it is reasonable and appropriate, but we would be aggressive to pursue them,” he said.
In response to Hawley’s questions, he said illegal immigrants should be removed from the United States and believes those who have received removal orders should be removed.
Hawley said he appreciated Gonzalez’s responses and was “encouraged” by what he heard.
“I think they put you in significant tension with the policies of this administration – I personally agree with that, I hope you will enforce the law vigorously, I don’t know what the White House will think of. your responses but I’m encouraged by what I’ve heard so far, ”said Hawley.
Dramatic drop in arrests and deportations coincided with new interim guidelines which limits ICE agents from targeting recent border franchisees, national security threats and “aggravated criminals”. While officials note that technically no one is excluded from being deported, ICE agents who wish to arrest someone outside of those categories need the prior approval of a superior.
As sheriff, Gonzalez had opposed ICE operations to locate and deport illegal immigrants across the country and ended an agreement between his office and ICE to allow MPs to enforce the law. on immigration.
Immigration hawks like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) opposed Gonzalez’s appointment, saying he lacked immigration and federal law enforcement experience and that he was hostile to the ICE. In a statement ahead of the hearing, the group warned that “a vote to advance it is a vote to protect foreign criminals and punish Americans.”
Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Grilled Gonzalez on a number of issues, including concerns about gang members entering into unaccompanied child groups – noting that many are adolescent males rather than young children.
“We let in people who are potentially gang members, we let in people who are going to be drug dealing or human trafficking, isn’t that your experience as the Sheriff of Houston?” He asked.
“I am always careful not to profile and develop stereotypes in my work,” Gonzalez said.
“It’s not profiling,” Johnson interrupted.
“But what I say at the end of the day, they are still teenagers, so I know that if they come to our country, they are treated via CB, there are different screenings done and at the end of the day , they’re still teenagers, ”Gonzalez said.“ And I think [Homeland Security Investigations] is a preeminent law enforcement agency when it comes to investigating how criminal networks manipulate the immigration system to take advantage of these people, and I think it’s important that we use our resources to combat and dismantle these criminal networks. “
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Johnson was not impressed with these responses.
“Mr. Gonzalez you are entering into the same state of denial, denial of the reality that is happening under this administration, with DHS and Secretary Mayorkas and if you deny the problem we have no chance to fix it. It is a crisis and it is a tragedy for this nation, ”Johnson said.
However, on the other side of the political spectrum, liberal civil rights groups were unhappy with Gonzalez’s testimony and his responses to Republicans’ questions. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called the testimony “deeply disappointing.”
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“Gonzalez seemed more interested in appeasing anti-immigrant politicians on the committee than presenting a vision for reform,” Naureen Shah, ACLU senior policy adviser, said in a statement. “It was a huge missed opportunity to convey to immigrant families and communities that the Biden administration is truly committed to making a decisive break with the racist and anti-immigrant policies of the Trump administration.”
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