Scalise Urges Democrats to Turn Down Anti-ICE Rhetoric, Highlights ICE’s Work to Remove Violent Criminals

Today, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) joined CBS News’ Face the Nation to discuss yesterday’s tragedy, the chaos unique to Minnesota because of their failed leaders, and the Trump Administration removing dangerous illegal aliens from our streets. Leader Scalise also urged Democrat leaders to turn down the rhetoric and encouraged local and state officials to work with federal law enforcement.
 
Highlights from Leader Scalise's interview:

On the chaos unique to Minneapolis under failed Democrat leadership:

“I don't question the credibility of ICE. They're doing an incredibly hard job. Look, we all just feel sorry about what happened in Minneapolis. This has happened over and over again. I'm not just talking about regarding ICE. They've got some failed local leadership. They let their city burn down years ago. They have chaos, it seems like all the time in places where other cities don't. ICE is operating in a lot of cities, Margaret, and you don't have these incidents in any other city but Minneapolis.”

On ICE removing criminal illegal aliens:

“Look, again, anytime something bad happens, we all lament that. I wish it didn't happen. But the rhetoric does need to be toned down. But we also need to remember: why is ICE doing this in cities? They're enforcing federal law, Margaret. The law says you can't be here illegally, and if you're committing violent crimes, the President made it clear, in fact, he was elected, President Trump was elected to get rid of criminals in our communities. 416,000 criminals have been arrested by ICE just in the last year. That has helped make our community safer.

“...Well, if you asked people in a poll, do you want violent criminals that are here illegally in your community, yes or no? What do you think the answer is going to be? I will tell you, overwhelmingly, they will say, please get the violent criminals out. In fact, you're seeing that on the ground in many cities where they are cooperating with ICE, where they don't have sanctuary city policies, and where you don't see, by the way, people going in the streets breaking the law to interfere with law enforcement, which is a felony.”

On Democrat leaders’ heated rhetoric as protestors illegally interfere with law enforcement:

“Interfering with law enforcement is a felony. It's something that, unfortunately, we're seeing in a lot of cities. You even had the police chief yesterday, Chief O'Hara, that you just had on, yesterday, said of the protests going on after the shooting, that they were unlawful. Yes. He actually said it was an unlawful assembly, what a lot of people are doing. They were throwing things at ICE agents, throwing projectiles that could harm ICE agents. Let's tone this down. Leaders in Minnesota, by the way, have been ratcheting up the rhetoric. You saw the governor, Governor Walz said, ‘They're Gestapo.’ He said, ‘They're violently hurting people.’”

On protecting election integrity nationwide: 

“I know we're trying in Congress to deal with putting laws on the books that will make sure that we protect the integrity of the vote nationwide. States like Minnesota have had problems with voter integrity. We want a national standard, the SAVE Act, which makes sure illegals can't vote, but also making sure you show picture ID. Those are things we're pushing for, that's across the board, federally.”

On President Trump delivering on his promises to deport violent illegal immigrants and protect Americans:

“Worst of the worst DHS. Go Google ‘Worst of the Worst DHS.’ State by state, they show you all the people that have been picked up in each state, your state. You can find out horrible people, murderers, rapists, that they picked up that would be on the streets today if President Trump wasn't securing this country.

“Go look at the website. It shows you who they picked up, 416,000 people with violent criminal records. These are people – and by the way, America today has the lowest murder rate that we've had since 1900, in part because of President Trump's actions to get these violent people off our streets. 416,000 have been removed. Do you want them still out on our streets? I don't think most people do.”

###