Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan was forced off the stage by protesters at an immigration conference at Georgetown University Law School in Washington Monday morning.
McAleenan took the stage around 9:20 a.m. ET Monday for what was supposed to be a 45-minute keynote speech on the Trump administration’s immigration policies. However, as soon as the acting secretary walked out to the podium and began his remarks, six protesters scattered across the audience inside the auditorium began interrupting him.
One woman began chanting, “When our immigrants are under attack, what do we do?” and others responded with, “Stand up — fight back.”
The group chanted the lines several times before stopping. McAleenan tried to continue, but just as soon as he started to thank the host organization Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and Georgetown, the group began yelling again. More protesters dressed in casual and business attire stood and joined in. McAleenan stayed behind the podium and watched. His Secret Service detail stayed within feet of him, keeping an uneasy eye on the situation.
Attendees were not required to go through metal detectors before entering the auditorium.
Three groups of two people each held up large black signs, blocking some attendees from seeing the stage. One sign appeared to read, “Why are you listening to this shit,” a reference to McAleenan’s comments.
The protests continued. “Democracy is under attack, what do we do? Stand up — fight back.”
One police officer was observed at the back of the room, but no other law enforcement or special police were seen on site. MPI did not ask for the removal of any of the protesters in attendance. One of the three panelists seated at a table on stage, MPI’s senior fellow Doris Meissner, spoke up after several outbursts in which people would chant and McAleenan would attempt to continue speaking.
“You’re robbing the rest of this audience of an opportunity to engage in the dialogue that is important to have on the university campus,” said Meissner. “Please have some respect for this audience who came here to listen to this speech … You may stay standing, but please stop shouting.”
“Thanks, Doris. We’ll give it one more shot,” McAleenan said.
McAleenan began speaking again, still in his opening statement, but was interrupted again by the female protester. Two MPI officials walked over to McAleenan and stood next to him at the podium.
“Democracy requires a dialogue,” MPI President Andrew Selee said, standing next to McAleenan. “It requires listening. It requires a two-way street. The secretary has agreed to take questions and answers. We’re robbing time from the period of questions and answers where he can engage with the public.”
“He’s robbing children from their families,” a protester shouted back.
“We’ll get our questions all right,” another protester said.
McAleenan started up again for a final time after a handful of tries.
“I’d like to take our dialogue this morning above the politics and the daily news cycle and talk about the challenges and efforts that we face over the past year and also given that this is primarily an audience of immigration lawyers, advocates and law students, to also talk about some of the fundamental issues that we face with the current legal framework…” said McAleenan, as a woman interrupted.
McAleenan turned to his left and walked off stage, followed by Secret Service and staff. The room went silent and one angry attendee yelled at the protesters for not letting the hundreds in the audience here from the keynote speaker.
“You guys are enough. You brought the right point to the wrong place,” the man said.
[Also read: ‘Mass exodus’ at DHS of Trump political appointees under Secretary McAleenan]
