The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend said that his agents would arrest any individual who is in the country illegally. But their focus is still on the “worst of the worst.”
Under the Trump administration, Todd Lyons, the acting director of ICE, told CBS News “we have opened up the whole aperture of the immigration portfolio, meaning that if you’re here illegally and ICE goes out and arrests someone that is released from a sanctuary jurisdiction or wanted in their home country, and an ICE officer finds other individuals with them who are in the country illegally, we’re going to take them as well.”
Lyons confirmed that agents will arrest anyone in the U.S. illegally, but emphasized they will focus only on targeted criminals with a record or those with a court order of removal.
“So while we still are going out after the rapists, murderers, terrorists, we are (also) going to encounter individuals that are here illegally. But what I can promise is, our main focus is those public safety threats, are those national security concerns, because that’s what ICE’s mission is,” Lyons said.
Attacks against federal law enforcement
Attacks against officers in the last year have increased by 830%, Lyons said, and part of the blame, he believes, is the rhetoric being shared online, specifically by elected officials, regarding ICE agents and ICE missions.
Over the weekend, an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer was shot during an altercation with an illegal immigrant who had previously been deported.
The officer was apparently struck in the face and forearm on Saturday evening in Manhattan’s Riverside Park, per Fox News. Following the incident, Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a Dominican national, was taken into custody, along with a second individual, Christhian Aybar-Berroa, a non-documented immigrant from the Dominican Republic.
“There’s absolutely zero reason that someone who is scum of the earth like this should be running loose on the streets of New York City,” Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary, said of Nunez during a press briefing on Monday morning. “He was arrested four different times in New York City, and because of the mayor’s policies and sanctuary city policies, was released back to do harm to people and to individuals living in this city.”
Noem blamed Manhattan’s sanctuary city policies for the attack on the officer, who she said is currently fighting for his life in the hospital.
She also posted on social media, “We will NEVER tolerate violence against our officers.”
White House border czar, Tom Homan, echoed Noem’s comments during the press briefing, arguing that “Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals. Hard stop. ... Every sanctuary city is unsafe.”
“I’m going to work very hard with Secretary Noem to keep President Trump’s promise and his commitment several weeks ago that sanctuary cities are now our priority. We’re going to flood the zone,” he said.