House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called for “aggressive oversight” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during an appearance on ABC’s The View Monday. He criticized the agency’s recent conduct under the Trump administration and defended immigrant communities targeted by federal enforcement.
Pressed by cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin on whether he supported progressive calls to defund ICE, Jeffries stopped short of endorsing the idea but condemned the agency’s “overly aggressive behavior,” and pledged that House Democrats would closely scrutinize ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
“We need aggressive oversight as it relates to the overly aggressive behavior that we’ve seen from ICE, from the Department of Homeland Security,” Jeffries said.
“Donald Trump and Republicans promised to go after violent felons, but instead, they’re going after law-abiding immigrant families, in some cases deporting American citizens and children, some with cancer. America is better than this.”
The segment was part of a broader conversation about the spending bill recently signed by Trump, which includes $170 billion for expanded ICE operations.
Cohost Ana Navarro described the situation as one of “mass deportation efforts,” citing reports of masked ICE agents conducting “military-style ICE raids” in U.S. cities and detaining migrants “without any due process.”
Navarro asked Jeffries what his message was for immigrants feeling fearful and hopeless under the current immigration policies.
Jeffries responded by accusing Trump of unleashing “an unprecedented flood of extremism” and urged Americans not to lose hope.
“We can never lose hope in the resilience of the American people to face turbulence — and this is an incredibly turbulent moment — but to power our way through it and to come out stronger on the other side,” he said. “I still believe in the fundamental goodness of the American people.”
He reaffirmed his support for border security but emphasized the need for bipartisan immigration reform that honors America’s values as “a nation of immigrants.”
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“While we work on making sure the border can remain secure, while we work to fix our broken immigration system, we also are going to stand up for Dreamers, for farmworkers, and for law-abiding immigrant families at all times,” Jeffries said to applause from the audience.
“In this country, you work hard and play by the rules, you should be able to live a good life,” he said. “That means a good job, good education, good housing, and yes — keeping your hands off of Social Security and Medicare.”