Whoopi Goldberg walks back calling ICE ‘violent criminals’
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“The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg on Monday walked back comments suggesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are “violent criminals,” saying she is concerned about accountability in federal law enforcement.
“No one wants this. This is not what you said was going to happen – this is what it is, you said you were going to go after the bad guys,” Goldberg said during the first episode of his daytime talk show, appearing to address President Donald Trump rhetorically. “That’s what you said, violent criminals. So what was the outcome? It looks like violent criminals are on the force.”
However, after the commercial break, he walked back his comments and clarified his previous statement, saying he was not accusing ICE agents of being criminals.
“People gather around and say, ‘Oh! He’s accusing everyone in ICE of being criminals!’ before saying. “That’s not what I do,” Goldberg said. “And I want to be clear, sometimes it feels like there’s no one watching the chicken coops. Is it ok? So before you get off topic, know that this is a nuanced conversation.”
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Whoopi Goldberg tried to get ahead of her critics by claiming they would interpret her previous comments about ICE having “violent criminals” in bad faith. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation)
“I think you meant lack of accountability, because you’ve had nine shootings by ICE agents against various individuals,” co-host Sunny Hostin said. “We haven’t heard a lot of news about it, no one has been held accountable, and we don’t know the status of the investigation. So it feels like there’s a lack of accountability and transparency.”
“You’re very kind and I appreciate it,” Goldberg replied.
Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday after she allegedly turned her car toward him. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that the agent who opened fire was an act of “self-defense.”
Since his death, protests have broken out across the country, leading to more clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
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“Abolish ICE” has become a popular slogan among progressive activists. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Now you’re seeing ‘Abolish ICE,'” Hostin said before Goldberg’s comments. “This was left-wing behavior before. Everyone was saying, ‘Abolish ICE, you should never say this, you should never say that.'”
“I think people — red states, blue states — these are the United States of America, and people don’t want to see murder — killing in the streets,” Hostin added.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin said that although some suggested they would support ICE’s role in law enforcement, “Nobody signed up for that. Nobody said that’s what we want.”
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Sunny Hostin offered a charitable interpretation of co-host Whoopi Goldberg’s statement, which Goldberg greatly appreciated. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
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ICE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News’ Julia Bonavita and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
