On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) defended Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) ending an order on state cooperation with ICE by saying that “there ought to be a collaborative effort.” But the lack of collaboration in Minnesota “is due to the ICE tactics.” And “when we have ICE agents, I’ve seen in my state, sitting outside a courthouse, when somebody comes to do their hearing as they try to get legal status in our country and they get picked up because they did the right thing in reporting in, I’m not sure that’s the system we ought to be having at this point.”
Host Bret Baier [relevant exchange begins around 7:10] referenced the protest at a church in St. Paul and then asked, “In Virginia, the new Governor just ended state law enforcement collaboration with ICE to capture illegal immigrants with criminal records. That’s Abigail Spanberger. You obviously campaigned with her. Is that what should be going on right now?”
Warner answered, “I think everybody has got a First Amendment right to protest, but I think those protests should include or involve disrupting religious services. That seems inappropriate. I do know that, in Minneapolis, at least what I’ve read, they’ve got about 3,500 ICE agents there, overwhelming the local cops that are about 800. I can also tell you, at least in Virginia — I don’t know the rate of arrests in Minnesota — but in Virginia, because ICE has this quota system, where if they don’t arrest enough people each week — that of the people that have been arrested in Virginia, over the now one year of the ICE build-up and being spread across the country, 75% of those arrested, they may have come across illegally into our country, but 75% of the people arrested have no further criminal record.”
Baier then cut in to say, “I know, this deals with not collaborating with ICE to capture illegal immigrants with criminal records.”
Warner responded, “Well, again, but if you look at the — but Bret, we’ve got to go to the facts. The facts on the ground in Virginia are that 75% of the people who have been arrested have no criminal record in America.”
Baier then cut in to ask, “Okay, well, why not work with ICE with the criminal records?”
Warner responded, “Well, then let’s — potentially working on those who have criminal records, that is different than what’s happening right now, where ICE agents, — and the Biden administration screwed up the border. I’ll be the first to acknowledge that, but the idea of masked ICE agents picking up moms, dropping off their kids, folks going to work, and, as we’ve seen, at least in the circumstances in Minnesota, sometimes, where kids are being left in the car after their parents — that may or may not have been actually criminals — are being picked up. I just think there ought to be a collaborative effort. And, so far, at least, based upon what I’ve seen in Minnesota, there is virtually no collaboration between local law enforcement and ICE. And I believe that is due to the ICE tactics.”
Baier then asked, “I hear you. I’m just saying that Abigail Spanberger…she campaigned as a moderate, is not doing that in the start of her time as Governor. I mean, she’s doing that –.”
Warner cut in to respond, “I believe that local law enforcement is pretty damn good at going after actual criminals. But when we have ICE agents, I’ve seen in my state, sitting outside a courthouse, when somebody comes to do their hearing as they try to get legal status in our country and they get picked up because they did the right thing in reporting in, I’m not sure that’s the system we ought to be having at this point.”
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