President Donald Trump defended the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying that the federal agency’s immigration raids “haven’t gone far enough.”
Trump endorsed ICE’s operations during a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday.
He also blames liberal judges appointed by former Presidents Biden and Obama for restricting law enforcement efforts.
During the interview, CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell pressed Trump about videos showing aggressive ICE operations, including an agent shoving a woman at an immigration courthouse and federal officers deploying tear gas in Chicago’s Irving Park neighborhood.
“Have some of these raids gone too far?” O’Donnell asked.
“No. I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back by the – by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama,” Trump replied.
When O’Donnell followed up, asking whether he was “OK with those tactics,” Trump doubled down.
“Yeah, because you have to get the people out,” he said.
“You know, you have to look at the people.
“Many of them are murderers,” the president noted.
“Many of them are people that were thrown outta their countries because they were, you know, criminals.
“Many of them are people from jails and prisons.
“Many of them are people from frankly mental institutions.
“I feel badly about that, but they’re released from insane asylums.
“You know why? Because they’re killers.”
“We Have to Get the People Out”
Trump’s comments came as part of his administration’s ongoing push to carry out mass deportations, fulfilling a central promise of his 2024 reelection campaign.
The White House has maintained that ICE’s efforts are focused on removing “criminal illegal migrants” who pose a public safety threat.
Officials have described those being targeted as “the worst of the worst.”
According to Fox News, internal tensions have grown within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the scale and scope of deportation operations.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino have reportedly advocated for more aggressive enforcement, including actions against all individuals in the U.S. illegally, not just those with criminal records.
Lawsuits and Protests
Bovino and several DHS and ICE officials were named in a Democrat-led October civil rights lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois.
The lawsuit accused agents of using unlawful force to suppress protests near the Broadview ICE facility outside Chicago.
The suit was brought by a coalition of left-wing journalists, media groups, and individual demonstrators.
ICE’s enforcement operations in several U.S. cities have sparked protests and legal challenges from left-wing organizations, which claim the raids violate civil rights.
The administration has defended the operations as necessary to restore border security and enforce immigration law.
Trump: “Many of Them Should Not Be Here”
In the interview, Trump said his goal is to deport millions of illegal immigrants who entered the country during the Biden administration.
“Well, it takes a long time, because, you know, probably I say 25 million people were let into our country,” Trump said.
“A lotta people say it was 10 million people.
“But whether it was ten or – I believe I’m much closer to the right number.
“Of the 25, many of them should not be here. Many of them.”
The president said his administration will continue to push forward with enforcement efforts until his immigration “mission” is complete.
Trump says the mission is essential to protecting American sovereignty, national security, and the rule of law.
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