CNN anchor Jake Tapper pressed Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Sunday about last week’s shooting of an illegal immigrant by ICE officers in New York City, one of two such shootings Mullin has responded to since taking over the department and which Mullin has used to run his own numbers.
Mullin, who succeeded Kristi Noem as secretary in March, believes the number of concern is the hundreds of illegal immigrants in New York who are wanted or convicted of murder — and he says American lives have been lost because the suspects were in the United States.
The head of the Department of Homeland Security told Tapper that Oscar Bergal had only been in the United States for three years but had an impressive criminal record. In addition to being in the United States illegally, he also had credible ties to the Trinitarios street gang. Marin explained that when ICE goes to arrest someone, the “fight or flight” instinct often kicks in.
“When we approach a vehicle, the person knows they’re going to jail,” Mullin explained. “Now, you want to talk about the two people who have been shot and killed since I became secretary of state, let’s talk about the 258 illegal immigrants who are currently wanted for murder in New York City. Let’s talk about the 258 illegal immigrants who are currently killing individuals in state prisons who are illegal immigrants in our custody.”
“These 258 people took American lives,” he added. “All 258 deaths were 100 percent preventable because those illegal immigrants shouldn’t be here. If people are really concerned about the tactics being used, how about states working with us? These people I talked about are all in custody. Oscar is in custody.”
Mullin also mentioned two illegal immigrants suspected of stabbing off-duty NYPD detective Jose Mercedes, saying one of them was also detained by ICE.
“What that means is they were locked up, we asked the state, we asked the city to turn them over to us, and then they put them back on the street,” he said. “If anyone should be angry, it should be [be] The public condemns asylum countries and asylum politicians who continue to release these murderers and thugs back onto the streets and put the public at risk. “