Lankford Exposes Minnesota’s Failure to Cooperate with ICE, Thanks Agents Under Threat at Homeland Security Hearing
Lankford Defends ICE, CBP Agents: “Please Say Thanks to Them”
WASHINGTON, DC — US Senator James Lankford (R-OK), Chairman of the Border Management, Federal Workforce, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), today highlighted Minnesota’s refusal to fully cooperate with federal immigration enforcement during a two-panel oversight hearing examining state compliance with ICE detainers and federal interior enforcement operations. The first panel featured Minnesota elected and executive officials, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. The second panel included federal witnesses, including leadership from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Excerpts:
“If you pass on a thank you to the men and women that literally put their lives on the line for the sake of the country every single day, I appreciate it. Because we hear story after story of death threats on ICE agents, on CBP, folks that are being randomly attacked, of vehicles being rammed into their vehicles, of rocks being thrown at them, threats that they have against their life and against their children.”
“The very real threats that they face every day has got to wear on them. So if you’d pass on our gratitude to the folks that are putting their lives on the line every day and facing those kind of threats for the nation… so please say thanks to them.”
“There are thousands of arrests that are happening today that are happening by the book… Very few people are stopping to be able to say thanks to you. So I just want to make it clear what’s actually happening.”
Excerpts from Lankford’s Questions with Minnesota AG Keith Ellison:
On ICE arrest data:
Lankford: “This number of 14% of the folks have a criminal record, that ICE has detained, is actually not an accurate number. That number is 14% of violent criminals. That’s murders and rapes. Seventy percent of the folks that are arrested nationwide have a criminal record.”
On Minnesota compared to other jurisdictions:
Lankford: “I look at what’s happening in Minnesota…ICE did a surge in New Orleans, this didn’t happen…there are right now 1,200 jurisdictions that [honor immigration detainers]…”
On national 287(g) cooperation:
Lankford: “When I look at my state and other states and the cooperation, there are right now about 1200 jurisdictions in the country that have a 287 (g) agreement with the federal government on honoring detainers and working to be able to partner together. There’s 1,400 total agreements of some kind of memorandum of understanding with ICE and with local law enforcement across the country. But what I’m hearing from you, is in Minnesota, a 287 (g) would not be allowed according to state law.”
On Minnesota’s 287(g) agreements:
Lankford: “How many 287(g) agreements are there in Minnesota at this point?”
Ellison: “I think about I think seven is the last number I heard…”
On honoring another state’s request:
Lankford: “If Oklahoma reached out and said, ‘Hey, we want that person, I know you’re prosecuting them, but before you release them, we want them. Don’t let go of them until we get there.’ What would happen in that situation?”
Ellison: “I’m confident that Minnesota would honor Oklahoma’s request.”
On final orders of removal and ICE detainers:
Lankford: “… So I guess my first question is, if someone has a final order of removal from an immigration court, should they be removed?”
Ellison: “Yes.”
Lankford: “Okay. So then the argument from ICE has been, is that sometimes they do a detainer and by the time they got there, they’ve been released already. They’re not actually there. Is that occurring?”
On limits to holding individuals on ICE detainers:
Lankford: “I would say if Oklahoma contacts Minnesota and says hold them until we get there or ICE contacts and says hold on until we get there, what’s the difference?”
Ellison: “… If the person is not convicted of anything and there’s the ICE detainer that’s there, then ICE has to get them because they cannot be held beyond the time that the state has a legitimate reason to hold that.”
Excerpts from Lankford’s Questions with Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott:
On final orders of removal nationwide:
Lankford: “What percentage of folks that actually have a detainer put on them nationwide, or that are in removal processes, have a final order of removal?”
Lyons: “…What we’re tracking right now is about 1.6 million final orders in the United States, or approximately 800,000 of those having criminal convictions.”
Lankford: “… It’s my understanding that the vast majority of these folks that are being removed have a final order of removal on them already through a court.”
Lyons: “Yes, sir. Through an immigration judge with the Department of Justice separate from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”
On Minnesota operations and organized obstruction:
Lankford: “There have been operations in Memphis and in New Orleans and in North Carolina and multiple other places where there weren’t incidents like this. Was there a difference in how command and control was actually done in Minnesota?”
Lyons: “… The issue we were dealing with there is when we had organized groups… one of the fliers that was put out when it said how to impede ICE operations and arrest… told white people to put their body between the criminal alien and the officer.”
Lyons: “People were being actively told to go out there and impede arrest… to help the people we were arresting escape and ram vehicles. That’s the complete difference which led to the escalation.”
On border wall construction and interior enforcement:
Lankford: “… What is happening right now with construction on the southern border?”
Scott: “We’re building the new smart border wall at a record pace. There’s about 35.9 miles of actual barrier that we’ve installed just since January… about two miles a week are currently being built.”
Scott: “… If there’s not a consequence once you get past us, the flow will never stop. So a big reason the flow slowed down is because we’re actually arresting illegal aliens inside the United States and sending a message globally that we’re not going to tolerate this anymore…”
You can watch the first panel with Minnesota officials, including Attorney General Keith Ellison, HERE. You can download it HERE.
You can watch the second panel with federal witnesses from USCIS, ICE, and US Customs and Border Protection HERE. You can download it HERE.
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