Washington, Feb 10 (EFE). –
The acting director of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Todd Lyons, and the commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Rodney Scott, refused to apologize on Tuesday in Congress over the killings of two citizens during immigration raids in Minneapolis.
In the highly anticipated appearance of both officials before the House Homeland Security Committee, Lyons refused to apologize for the President Donald Trump administration’s rush to describe the victims, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as “terrorists.”
”I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private, but I’m not going to speak on any ongoing investigation,” was the ICE director’s argument for avoiding giving explanations about the deaths that have sparked a major political crisis.
The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Republican Andrew Garbarino, insisted on the need to know all the details surrounding the deaths of the two citizens.
Senior officials from the agencies at the center of Trump’s immigration policy also failed to inform senators about how many agents have been punished for misconduct in connection with immigration raids in the state of Minnesota, where Minneapolis is located.
The congressional hearing, outside which dozens of citizens gathered to protest against ICE and CBP, ultimately reflected the distance between Democrats and Republicans on immigration issues in a key week of parliamentary negotiations.
While Democrats insisted on the excesses of federal agents, Republicans emphasized the need to control illegal immigration, which they consider dangerous to US citizens.
Democrats are currently refusing to approve funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and CBP, unless some of its operating protocols are modified, such as requiring agents to have a warrant signed by a judge to enter homes and prohibiting or limiting the use of masks or face coverings by agents.
If no agreement is reached with Republicans by Saturday, the department could enter into an administrative shutdown, which would affect its activities. EFE
acd/mcd
