Jeh Johnson: Sanctuaries Need to Work with ICE Before There’s ‘Tragic Incident’
On Wednesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson said that it’s a problem that sanctuary jurisdictions aren’t cooperating with ICE and he would talk to mayors “and say, you have to work with us. Don’t wait for there to be a tragic incident in your city before you decide you need to work with ICE.”
Johnson said, “What I used to tell people at ICE when I was secretary, Tom Homan included, is, when you’re out on the streets doing your job, use common sense, because one notorious incident can turbocharge a sanctuary city movement, like we’re seeing right now across this country. The ideal situation is where local law enforcement is working effectively with ICE to find these people, find these people in pre-trial detention, find these people as their sentences end and they’re about to be released, put detainers on them, and deport the criminals. And to do that –.”
Co-host Lawrence Jones then cut in to say, “They’re not cooperating now, Mr. Secretary, back then, you actually deported more people.”
Johnson responded, “No, they’re not cooperating, and that’s a problem.” And that the lack of cooperation is worse than it was when he ran DHS.
Jones then asked, “What would you do in this situation, when your cops were surrounded?”
Johnson answered, “I personally would talk to the mayor of New York, the mayor of Philadelphia, and the mayor of dozens of other cities and say, you have to work with us. Don’t wait for there to be a tragic incident in your city before you decide you need to work with ICE. Let’s make this relationship work now.”
Johnson added, “I would counsel our immigration enforcement personnel, when they’re out in the streets, doing their job, looking for undocumented — specifically the criminals, to use common sense in these communities, which are very often blue communities that start off from a position where they don’t want to work with ICE. So, my advice is you have to use your common sense.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
