Nice reporting work by CQ Homeland Security in following up on outrageous remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accusing ICE agents as being “un-American” for … doing the jobs assigned to them by Pelosi and her colleagues in Congress. Karoun Demirjian reports that Speaker Pelosi is standing firm in her position as of Thursday.
Meanwhile, Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith has asked for an apology from Speaker Pelosi for the attacks. Catch the video of his statement here.
See an excerpt of Demirjian’s story below:
Pelosi Stands Firm on Criticism of ICE for Worksite Enforcement Operations — CQ Homeland Security
A comprehensive immigration bill may or may not happen in 2009, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says lawmakers shouldn’t wait to put the brakes on enforced deportation measures that many say have gotten out of control.
“ICE raids that break up families, just kicking in the door in the middle of the night, taking a parent away, that’s just not the American way,” Pelosi said Thursday, at a conference on border issues hosted by the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce.
Democrats have criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement on several occasions in the past few years for placing a greater priority on catching large numbers of illegal immigrants through worksite sweeps than on apprehending dangerous criminals. Many Republicans have argued that ICE is simply doing the job it was assigned.
Thursday, Pelosi stuck firmly to her position, urging immediate action even in the absence of a comprehensive package.
“We need this comprehensive reform, and we need it soon,” Pelosi said. “And we need to stop those kinds of ICE raids in the meantime.”
