Tuesday on MS NOW’s “Katy Tur Reports,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said unless Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is “reined in,” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will shut down on Friday.
Jeffries said, “The ball is in the Republican’s court right now. We’ve made clear that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not brutalize or kill them. That shouldn’t be a controversial proposition. We know that Ice is completely and totally out of control. They’ve gone way too far, and they need to be reined in so that immigration enforcement in this country is fair, it’s just and it’s humane. And the only way to bring that about right now is for there to be dramatic changes in the way in which DHS conducts itself before any funding bill moves forward on Friday.”
He added, “They promised that immigration enforcement was going to target violent felons who are here illegally. That’s not what’s taking place. That targeting American citizens, law abiding immigrant families and American communities, which is why the American people are so horrified. And so, again, we need dramatic change on the one hand or listen, Republicans are going to make the decision to shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard and shut down TSA. And that would be very unfortunate.”
Tur asked, “So there’s nothing there that you guys can agree on. As of now?”
Jeffries said, “Well, the White House has indicated that there’s some openness, to mandating body cameras. That’s important. But that can’t be the only thing that is done moving forward. That’s not dramatic change. And the White House has not even gone as far as saying we agree mandatory body cameras, no exceptions. Their response, even in that area, has been ambiguous. ”
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