Question to ICE Director Lyons: 'Do you think you are going to hell?'

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons, who has been the target of harsh criticism due to operations resulting in the deaths of American civilian citizens, testified before the House Committee on Homeland Security. In a hearing held in the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress, following the killing of two American civilian citizens by ICE personnel, Lyons defended ICE officers and stated that they would not be intimidated in the process of implementing President Trump's policies to deport irregular migrants.

During his opening remarks, Lyons spoke about the threats and attacks faced by ICE officers, stating, "My message to anyone who thinks they can intimidate us is that they will not succeed. Despite all the dangers, our units continue to carry out their duties with unwavering determination. We are just getting started."

Arguing that anti-ICE protesters endanger the safety of federal officers who strive to remove illegal aliens and criminals from the country, Lyons said that the officers would not take a step back and would not apologize for their actions.

The ICE Director shared data indicating that they carried out more than 475 thousand deportation operations just last year. After his opening statement, Lyons began answering questions from members of Congress, facing tough questions from Democratic members while receiving support from many Republican members of Congress.

"How many ICE personnel have been removed from duty so far?"

Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell asked Lyons, "How many ICE personnel have been removed from duty so far due to your practices?" Lyons said he could answer this question after obtaining the data in question. Lyons responded to Swalwell's question regarding whether "at least one officer" had been fired by saying he would not comment on the matter. Following Swalwell's remarks, "But two people have been killed so far, right? A nurse named Pretti and a mother named Good," and his question regarding whether they were considering apologizing to the family of Good, who was labeled a "terrorist," Lyons replied, "If there is an opportunity for a private meeting with the family, I would welcome it. However, I will not comment on an ongoing investigation."

"The tactics you use are downright fascist"

During the hearing, Democratic Representative Dan Goldman, representing New York, compared the demand by ICE personnel for Americans to show identification documents proving their citizenship to the practices of Nazi Germany. Addressing ICE Director Lyons, Goldman asked, "Is there any other regime in the 20th century that demanded documents in this way?" Upon Lyons' answer of "Yes, there is," Goldman asked, "Is Nazi Germany one of them?" Goldman stated, "The tactics you use are contrary to American values and are downright fascist. If you do not want to be called a fascist regime and secret police, stop behaving this way."

"Do you think you are going to hell?"

Democratic Congresswoman LaMonica McIver asked ICE Director Lyons whether he was a religious person. After Lyons confirmed this, McIver asked, "Well, when the day of reckoning comes, what do you think your situation will be when you have so much blood on your hands?" After Lyons said he would not answer this question, McIver asked, "Do you think you are going to hell?" McIver's aggressive remarks drew reactions from Republican members of the committee. Republican member Andrew Garbarino said, "Oversight is an important matter, but attacking the witness personally is inappropriate and inconsistent with the customs of our committee." The official White House-linked "Rapid Response 47" account also accused McIver of "completely overstepping her bounds" in a post regarding the matter.

News Source: 12punto