Rep. Steve Cohen tells Pam Bondi “worst of the worst” are native-born
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A House Democratic lawmaker told Attorney General Pam Bondi that the “worst of the worst” the Trump administration is targeting are actually native-born Americans, not illegal immigrant criminals.
Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee was talking to Bondi during a contentious congressional hearing about the Justice Department’s handling of the files on Jeffrey Epstein when Bondi made the remark.
“We need people working on the front lines and local law enforcement to protect our citizens from the worst,” Cohen said. “The worst of the worst are not immigrants. The record shows that the worst of the worst are native Americans, and they commit crimes that harm our citizens and our cities.”
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Rep. Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, said at a congressional hearing this week that the “worst of the worst” are native Americans, not immigrants. (Jonathan Newton-Pool/Getty Images)
“And you’re working against it,” he added. “And thank you for that, but trying to have our local law enforcement, where we have low numbers of officers in Memphis, leave Memphis and go work for ICE to deport people is the wrong priority.”
The Trump administration has said that about 70 percent of illegal immigrants targeted by federal immigration authorities have criminal records, including violent crimes.
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Attorney General Pam Bondi testified at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “Justice Department Oversight” on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. (ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty)
Many Democrats argue that most illegal immigrants do not violate any laws other than entering the United States illegally.
Bondi argued that both local and federal law enforcement need “strong people.”
“I’ve seen the worst of the worst, violent criminals, violent criminals who are in this country illegally,” he said. “We both know that.”
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Cohen also told Bondi that ICE was “excited” and that Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were “executed” by federal authorities in Minneapolis for allegedly obstructing law enforcement operations.
“They were executed the same way (Homeland Security Secretary) Krisit Noem executed her dog, and that was wrong,” Cohen said. “And you should investigate these people. You should investigate anyone who uses a gun as a federal officer, whether they use a gun or not, for civil rights violations.”
