President Trump defended the men and women who work for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid recent calls from Democrats to abolish the agency.
In his weekly address, Trump said the agency, which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, prevents other innocent lives from being lost.
ICE agents arrested almost 130,000 illegal immigrants in fiscal year 2017, Trump said.
“Without the brave heroes of ICE, we would have no enforcement, no laws, no borders and therefore — we wouldn’t even have a country,” Trump said.
“So to the courageous public servants at ICE — men and women, great ones: we want you to know that the American people are with you and my administration has your back 100 percent,” he continued.
Trump also called out House Democrats for not supporting a resolution backing the agency, accusing them of wanting “open borders and more crime.” Some Democrats have called for the abolition of the agency in response to Trump’s immigration policies, which will never happen under Trump’s watch, he said.
“We love you. We support you. And we always will stand with you.”
