ICE and immigration enforcement leaders defend agencies
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The heads of the agencies carrying out President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda delivered a staunch defense of immigration enforcement operations in a three-hour testimony to Congress on Tuesday.
Todd Lyons, the head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, faced the bulk of the highly charged questioning, with Democrats scrutinizing him and Republicans offering broad support.
Lyons stood behind ICE’s tactics, refusing to apologize for the actions of his officers despite criticism that the enforcement operations have trampled on the rights of both immigrants and American protesters.
He was joined by the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Rodney Scott, and the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph Edlow, in speaking before the House Committee on Homeland Security in a hearing called after federal officers killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.
Their testimonies are unlikely to quell simmering tensions over the centerpiece policy of Trump’s second term, as his immigration campaign finds itself both flush with cash from a 2025 spending bill and falling in public support.
What to know:
- Lyon’s leadership at ICE: ICE has undergone a massive hiring boom, deploying immigration officers across the country. Lyons is likely to face questioning over a memo he signed last year telling ICE officers that they didn’t need a judge’s warrant to forcibly enter a house to arrest a deportee, a memo that went against years of ICE practice and Fourth Amendment protections against illegal searches.
- Scott’s leadership at CBP: CBP has taken on a significant role in arresting and removing illegal immigrants from inside the country, marking a break from the agency’s traditional job of protecting borders and controlling who and what enters the country.
- DHS could shut down Friday night: After Democrats demanded changes to Trump’s immigration crackdown, the White House offered a counterproposal, which was not made public. Democratic leaders rebuffed it as “incomplete and insufficient.” Ahead of a deadline that could shut down the Homeland Security Department, Democrats have demanded better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and a stop to racial profiling.
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