Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Sunday said he doesn’t believe Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should “pull back on any kind of enforcement” after the Trump administration directed the agency to pause raids against workers in the agriculture, hotel and restaurant industries.
Cotton told CBS News’s Margaret Brennan on “Face The Nation” that “we need to have robust worksite enforcement” after being asked if he agreed with the move given agricultural business in his state.
“I don’t think we should pull back on any kind of enforcement at all,” Cotton said. “I think worksite enforcement in all industries needs to be able to move forward. And I think ICE agents on the front lines need the support of political leadership.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed a shift in deportation policies in a statement to NewsNation on Saturday, days after President Trump signaled that “changes are coming” in a post on Truth Social.
“Our great Farmers and people in the Hotel and Leisure business have been stating that our very aggressive policy on immigration is taking very good, long time workers away from them, with those jobs being almost impossible to replace,” the president wrote on Thursday.
“This is not good. We must protect our Farmers, but get the CRIMINALS OUT OF THE USA. Changes are coming!” he added.
DHS officials said they would follow the White House’s lead on removals and detainments, according to a report by The New York Times.
“We will follow the president’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said.
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