White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies after a reporter raised questions about claims that only 14% of illegal aliens arrested under the administration are violent criminals.
The reporter cited criticism from Democrats and concerns about how crime statistics are being presented.
“Criticism that immigration enforcement has become arbitrary or not particularly prioritizing, Democrats have been circulating the statistic that only 14% of illegal aliens arrested under this administration are violent criminals, but we know that in deep blue cities with progressive district attorneys, it’s common to plead down serious violent crimes into less serious offenses, which could be destroying those numbers. So given that backdrop, does the administration still stand by the messaging that you’re targeting the worst of the worst, and does this prevailing narrative tell the whole story?” the reporter asked.
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Leavitt responded by disputing the way the statistics have been characterized.
“Well, thank you for bringing this up. Caroline. I’ve seen this CBS report floating around. There’s a lot of liberal talking heads and pundits and Democrat elected politicians who think that this single story and these statistics and the way they are painted is somehow a shot at this administration. It is not,” Leavitt said.
“And let me correct the record number one, the Trump administration has been clear from day one that any illegal alien present in this country is subject to deportation. However, the priority, of course, is going after the convicted criminals, the worst of the worst, the murderers, the pedophiles, the rapists in this country,” she added.
Leavitt pointed to additional data referenced in the same report.
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“Interestingly, in the CBS story, what the Democrat talking heads on television are not saying is this line, nearly 60% of ICE arrestees over the past year had criminal charges or convictions, and among that population, the majority of the criminal charges or convictions are for non violent crimes,” she said.
She then detailed examples of what she described as non-violent offenses.
“Oh, well, what are non violent crimes? You ask? This has coincided with what DHS has been saying all along, that approximately 70% of illegal aliens arrested under President Trump have pending criminal charges and or prior convictions, and these so called non violent crimes, drug trafficking, distribution of child porn, burglar, burglary, fraud, DUI, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor in human smuggling, just to name a few,” Leavitt said.
“So just because a crime is not violent in nature doesn’t mean that crime is victimless, and I can guarantee every single person who is out there on television right now, pointing to these statistics that were taken out of context by CBS News, would not want an illegal alien convicted of the distribution of child porn or fraud or DUI living in your community,” she continued.
Leavitt concluded by reiterating the administration’s enforcement priorities.
“So the Trump administration will continue our focus on deporting all illegal aliens present in our country with a focus on the worst of the worst criminals. Thank you.”
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