President Trump’s pick to be Assistant Secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Ronald Vitiello, took harsh criticism from all the Democratic Senators he sat before during his confirmation hearing on Thursday, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), who appeared to draw a parallel between ICE and the KKK.
Harris focused on driving home her point that “perception” was instilling fear and intimidation among immigrants.
Are you aware that there’s a perception that ICE is administering its power in a way that is causing fear and intimidation, particularly among immigrants and specifically among immigrants coming from Mexico and Central America? Are you aware of that perception?-Sen. Kamala Harris
Alabama Senator Doug Jones told HISPOLITICA that he found Vitiello’s testimony “very troubling, to say the least.”
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Daniels stated that Harris was only trying to “launch her 2020 campaign off of comparing ICE officers to the KKK, and it's absolutely disgusting.”
Daniels, who was in Broward County, Florida helping count ballots during the manual recount, told HISPOLITICA that Harris is “known to be offensive,” and that “ICE agents deserve respect, not to be vilified, especially by a United States Senator.”
It was disrespectful to the person testifying and people who are dedicating their lives to care about our country, to say do you see how people view you as being the same as the KKK. There is no equivalence, it was offensive. Kamala Harris has known to be offensive
Let’s remember what ICE does, they are helping find human traffickers, they are helping prevent drugs from getting into this country, they are abiding by the laws of this country. Our ICE agents deserve respect, not to be vilified, especially by a United States Senator. -RNC Chairwoman Ronna Daniels
