President Trump slammed Democrats pushing for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying those who join such calls are disciples of a “very low IQ person” Maxine Waters and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
“Instead of supporting our ICE officers, many of these Democrat politicians who are really disciples of a very low IQ person, Maxine Waters, and perhaps even worse, Nancy Pelosi, they’ve launched vicious smears on the brave men and women who defend our communities,” Trump said Tuesday during remarks at the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States National Convention.
Trump praised ICE officers, saying they work in “dangerous conditions to protect our communities.”
“ICE is tough and smart,” Trump said. “They track them down and they stop a tremendous amount of crime, and these are great people, and they are not being treated properly.”
More than one-third of ICE officers, he continued, are veterans.
“But Democratic politicians want to abolish ICE,” Trump said. “They want to see open borders. Can you imagine?”
A growing number of Democrats, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have called for ICE to be replaced.
The backlash against the agency stems in part from the immigration raids conducted under the Trump administration and the separation of children from their parents at the southern border.
Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., introduced legislation this month that would sunset the agency and allocate its functions to other agencies.
Republicans, meanwhile, have dismissed the suggestion that ICE be terminated.
