President Trump’s crackdown, in the name of combating illegal immigration and violent crime, has divided Americans and launched a series of legal challenges.
President Trump says ICE is ‘not going far enough’ in ’60 Minutes’ interview
President Trump endorsed ICE tactics, criticized Democrats and warned China over Taiwan in an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes.”
President Donald Trump suggested in a recent interview that he has no intention of reversing immigration raids across the United States, despite divisive public opinion and growing legal resistance.
In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Nov. 2, host Norah O’Donnell asked President Trump whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had gone too far in recent operations. She specifically brought up the viral incident in which agents attacked a mother, used tear gas in the Chicago area, and broke a car window.
President Trump ignored the criticism and further escalated a wide-ranging crackdown on immigration.
“I don’t think they’ve gone far enough,” Trump said. “Because we’ve been held back by judges, liberal judges appointed by Biden and Obama.”
Since early June, President Trump has led a crackdown in the name of combating illegal immigration and violent crime, deploying immigration enforcement agents and the National Guard to a growing number of Democratic-led cities, despite opposition from local officials and dozens of protests.
Polls in recent weeks have shown that opinions on expanding ICE operations are sharply divided, particularly along partisan lines.
A New York Times poll in September found that 51% of Americans said the president’s immigration enforcement actions go too far, while 54% said they “somewhat” or “strongly” support deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally.
And polls released in recent days show support remains divided, with one poll finding 46% of Americans disapprove of the operation and 45% supporting it, and another finding consistently strong support among Republicans.
O’Donnell went on to ask if President Trump was okay with some of the tactics and actions of ICE agents that he mentioned, repeating the president’s claim that immigrants in the country illegally are being turned into violent criminals. Statistics show that immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than American citizens, with federal statistics as of June showing that less than half of detained immigrants have criminal records.
“Yes, because we have to get people out,” Trump said. “You have to look at the people. Many of them are murderers. Many of them are people who were kicked out of the country because they were criminals.”
President Trump has sent the National Guard to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Portland, O’Regan and Memphis, Tennessee, on what he calls a crime-fighting mission. According to the latest data from the FBI, violent crime fell 4.5% last year, marking the second consecutive year of decline.
The deployment has faced strong opposition from local officials who say it is unnecessary and authoritarian and is being challenged in court.
The president continues to press ahead, with military leaders saying in recent speeches that they want to use the military to fight the “enemy within.”
Contributor: Zach Anderson and Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY.
Kathryn Palmer is USA TODAY’s political reporter. She can be reached at the following address: kapalmer@usatoday.com And to X@Kathryn Purml.
