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Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons argued on Tuesday that federal immigration agents are facing “constant impediments” and “constant attacks” after video showed a suspected illegal migrant in San Antonio ramming cars in an attempt to flee.
The video shows the migrant in a car ramming into vehicles that were blocking them in from the front and the back, as the individual attempted to evade arrest.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Lyons was asked if rhetoric from Democrats criticizing ICE can be tied to incidents like these.
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Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons argued that federal immigration agents are facing “constant impediments” and “constant attacks.” (Reuters/Leah Millis)
“When we hear elected officials calling upon individuals to impede or obstruct ICE law enforcement operations nationwide, you’re going to see incidents like this,” Lyons responded. “You saw the officers and agents attempting to apprehend a criminally illegal alien, and there they are using their car as a weapon.”
Lyons said one of the agents went to a hospital with neck injuries after their vehicle was struck in the incident.
“Every day, this is what the men and women of ICE are facing,” he claimed. “It’s constant impediments, constant attacks like this. And it’s not safe for my folks, it’s not safe for the public. It really needs to stop.”
He also purported that “criminal gangs” are organizing groups to impede or obstruct immigration enforcement operations.
New video shows a migrant in a car ramming into vehicles that were blocking them in from the front and the back, as the individual attempted to evade arrest. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“It’s a constitutional right to go out there and protest. But when you have organized criminal gangs, which these are, that are organizing these groups to, again, impede or obstruct law enforcement operations … that’s a criminal act. I will tell you that Homeland Security investigations, my folks, the FBI, we’re investigating these and people can be held accountable because you can’t organize groups to go out and impede law enforcement. It’s a criminal act, and we have to act swiftly to prevent this from spreading,” he said.
Lyons was also asked about recent comments from Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who vowed to prosecute any ICE agent who commits unlawful acts during operations in the city while stressing that his threat does not apply to “honest, decent, moral” agents.
“The men and women of ICE, the men and women of HSI, they’re not committing any crimes,” Lyons argued. “So he doesn’t have to worry about arresting any of my folks because what we’re doing is we’re enforcing the law. We are out there every day making this nation and his city safe again. So he shouldn’t worry about the men and women of ICE. What he should worry about is the sanctuary policies that have these criminal aliens go back to his neighborhoods and commit heinous crimes like fentanyl trafficking, human trafficking, rape of a child. He should focus on those and let law enforcement do law enforcement work.”
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Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said one of the agents went to a hospital with neck injuries after their vehicle was struck in the incident. (Christopher Dilts/Getty Images)
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This comes on the heels of a recent incident in Minnesota, where Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by masked ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fired into the driver’s open window from the side of the vehicle and subsequently exclaimed “f–king b—h” as the car crashed into another parked vehicle.
Democrats and local residents have condemned the shooting as a murder and called for Ross’ prosecution, while the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers have defended the incident by arguing that it was a justified shooting.
