Democrat Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi during a combative congressional hearing, arguing that the most dangerous criminals in the United States are not illegal aliens but native-born Americans.
The assertion drew a sharp contrast with the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.
Cohen made the remarks while questioning Bondi about Justice Department actions and broader federal law-enforcement strategy.
“We need people working on the front lines and local law enforcement to protect our citizens from the worst of the worst,” Cohen said.
“The worst of the worst are not the immigrants.
“The worst are the worst, records show, are native-born Americans, and they are committing crimes that hurt our citizens and our cities.”
He further criticized federal immigration enforcement for drawing local officers away from city policing.
“And you’re working against it,” he told Bondi.
“And thank you for that, but by trying to get our local law enforcement, where we have an undercount of officers in Memphis, to leave Memphis and go to work for ICE to deport people is a wrong priority.”
WATCH:
Trump Administration Targets Criminal Illegal Aliens
The Trump administration has said roughly 70% of illegal immigrants targeted by federal authorities have criminal records, including violent offenses.
Officials note that immigration enforcement is a public-safety priority rather than a broad dragnet.
Democrats and their allies have frequently argued that most illegal immigrants commit no crimes beyond unlawful entry, positioning enforcement efforts as misdirected.
Bondi pushed back, emphasizing the real-world threat posed by violent offenders in the country illegally.
“I’ve seen some of the worst of the worst, violent criminals, violent criminals who were in this country illegally,” Bondi said.
“We both know that.”
Escalating Rhetoric Over ICE Operations
Cohen intensified his criticism by accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement of operating without restraint.
He also alleged, without evidence, federal responsibility in the deaths of anti-ICE agitators Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
“They were executed like (Homeland Security Secretary) Kristi Noem executed her dog, and that was wrong,” Cohen said.
“And you should investigate those people.
“And you should investigate anybody that uses a weapon as a federal official or not, for civil rights violations.”
The exchange underscored the widening divide between the Trump administration’s focus on removing criminal illegal aliens and Democrat efforts to curb ICE enforcement.
It has become one of the central policy battles shaping the president’s second term.
As congressional confrontations intensify, the dispute reflects a broader national question of whether immigration enforcement will remain a cornerstone of federal public-safety policy or be dismantled under sustained Democrat opposition.
READ MORE – Senator John Kennedy: ‘The Karen Wing’ Has Taken Control of the Democrats
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