A return to partisan trenchespublished at 19:27 GMT
19:27 GMT
Anthony Zurcher
North America correspondent
If Republicans in Congress are still harbouring concerns
about how federal officers have enforced immigration law in Minneapolis and
elsewhere in recent weeks, there has been little evidence of it during today’s
hearings at the House Homeland Security Committee.
Many Democrats on the committee have pressed Todd Lyons,
acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Rodney Scott,
commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, during these hearings on clashes
with protesters, including the shooting deaths of two American citizens. Some,
like LaMonica McIver of New Jersey and Eric Swalwell of California, have done
so in fiery terms.
The Republicans on the committee, however, have largely
defended federal actions, highlighted threats against enforcement officers and
condemned Democrats for disregarding what they say are the threats that
undocumented migrants present to Americans.
It’s a return to the partisan trenches after it appeared,
for a brief moment, that public outcry following the shooting of Alex Pretti
might prompt greater congressional scrutiny of the Trump administration’s
activities in Minneapolis and elsewhere.
We’re ending our live coverage now, but you can read more about today’s hearing here: Immigration bosses defend Trump’s enforcement agenda in Congress