Acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Thomas Homan informed a House subcommittee Tuesday they should expect increase deportation of family units and sharply defended his agency from criticism from political attacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne thing ICE is in the process of doing is we are going to step up our enforcement of family units that have final orders of removal,\u201d he bluntly told a House Border Security\u00a0and Maritime subcommittee hearing.<\/p>\n
According to Homan<\/a>, approximately 71,500 members of family units were apprehended in FY 2017 and that number is \u201con track to increase significantly in FY 2018.\u201d<\/p>\n In order to clear a growing backlog, it is necessary to act to deport those who\u2019ve had their due process and have been ordered removed by an immigration judge, stated Homan, who announced his retirement in April.<\/p>\n The interim chief anticipated actual enforcement of the law would result in \u201ca lot of letters\u201d asking why ICE is targeting families and not criminals.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if they are given their due process and a federal judge makes a decision, if we don\u2019t execute those decisions there is no integrity in the system,\u201d Homan asserted.<\/p>\n Homan\u2019s assertion that lawbreakers, not law enforcement, are at fault was warranted as the curtain on the political theater went up before the gavel was brought down.<\/p>\n Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-Calif.) appealed to her radical base by posting a photo of a group of protesters who\u2019d positioned themselves behind Homan with raised \u201cRefugees Welcome Here\u201d signs.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople came to make their voices heard today at a Homeland hearing on #immigration<\/a> and #familyseperation<\/a>. I hear you loud and clear. #RefugeesWelcomeHere<\/a>,\u201d she tweeted<\/a>.<\/p>\n And her antics continued. First, she insinuated subcommittee chairman Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.) was seeking to gain political points in her campaign to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Flake by holding the hearing.<\/p>\n Then she opened her questions of Acting Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Ronald Vitiello with a speech about how it made her \u201csick to my stomach\u201d to hear illegal immigrants described as criminals.<\/p>\n \u201cWe love to talk about this issue of MS-13 gangs. We love to paint immigrants as criminals. That is not the complete facts and that is very offensive for me to see continuing to happen,\u201d she complained.<\/p>\n Before the next member spoke, Homan asked for a chance to respond to Barragan.<\/p>\n “First of all, no one on this panel is anti-immigrant. We’re law enforcement officers enforcing the laws that you all enacted. So to sit there and say that we’re anti-immigrant is wrong. We are enforcing laws,” said Homan, acting ICE director.<\/p>\n He continued: \u201cIf you think it’s OK to enter this country illegally \u2014 you shouldn’t be arrested, that’s just wrong. The laws clearly state, \u2018You enter here illegally, it is a crime.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Barragan was not the only California Democrat whose griping about enforcing existing laws got under Homan\u2019s skin.<\/p>\n Rep. Lou Correa started by incorrectly accusing Homan of calling all immigrants \u201cdangerous,\u201d then complained to the ICE chief that farmers in his district were calling his office demanding more workers for the fields.<\/p>\n A clearly frustrated Homan responded, \u201cThe statement I made is entering this country is illegally is a crime, it is a violation of Federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n Correa interrupted to say \u201cthey are needed at these farms.\u201d<\/p>\n Unimpressed, Homan reminded the lawmaker that \u201cit\u2019s up to Congress to make changes in the guest worker program\u201d if they are needed.<\/p>\n \u201cBut violating the laws of this country isn\u2019t the answer,\u201d he snapped.