Senator Kamala Harris Grills Nominee to Lead ICE, Compares Agency to the KKK
Nov. 15, 2018
Kyle Morris
6,777 comments
During a Thursday confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Democrat California Sen. Kamala Harris compared the agency to the Ku Klux Klan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM-4PROZkUM
During his opening statement, Vitiello said, “If confirmed, one of my highest priorities will be to better demonstrate to the public, Congress, and the media the importance of our mission to homeland security and public safety — and why our agency’s existence should not be up for debate.”
Ronald Vitiello, Trump’s nominee, was questioned by Harris about comments made in the past where he referred to the Democratic Party as “neo-Klan” like. Vitiello offered an apology for the comments and called them inappropriate as he considered the history of the Klan, but that was not good enough for Harris.
Harris insisted Vitiello, who has patrolled the border for thirty years, expound on why his comments were inappropriate.
“The Klan was what we could call today a domestic terrorist group,” Vitiello said.
“Why?” Harris responded.
“Because they tried to use fear and force to change the political environment,” Vitiello replied.
“And what was the motivation for the use of fear and force?” Harris asked.
“Based on race and ethnicity, ” Vitiello stated.
“Right,” Harris declared. “And are you aware of the perception of many about how the power and discretion at ICE is being used to enforce the law and do you see any parallels?”
“I do not see any parallels,” Vitiello responded, to which Harris said she was talking about perceptions.
“How can you be the head of an agency and be unaware of how your agency is perceived by certain communities?” Harris asked.
“There’s a lot of perceptions in the media and in the public that are incorrect about the agency,” Vitiello said.
Earlier this year, in an interview with NBC’s Kasie Hunt, Sen. Harris floated the idea of “starting from scratch” when it comes to immigration enforcement.
“I think there’s no question that we’ve got to critically re-examine ICE, and its role, and the way that it is being administered, and the work it is doing. And we need to probably think about starting from scratch.”
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...cy-to-the-kkk/
Kamala Harris thinks an orderly immigration system is racist
by Philip Wegmann
| November 15, 2018 03:45 PM
An orderly immigration system is rooted in the commonsense idea that a people, through the law, can determine who enters or stays and who doesn't, and that the government ought to enforce those laws. To Sen. Kamala Harris, that idea is racist. The California Democrat just compared Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Ku Klux Klan.
The comparison came during cross examination of Ronald Vitiello, the nominee to head ICE. Harris wondered aloud whether Vitiello agreed that ICE was creating anxiety and fear in the same way that the Klan had terrorized African-Americans.
As Anna Giaritelli of the Washington Examiner reports:
"Are you aware of the perception of many about how the power and the discretion at ICE is being used to enforce the laws and do you see any parallels ..." she asked.
Vitiello interjected before Harris could name ICE and the KKK: "I do not see any parallels."
"That puts ICE in the same category as the KKK. Is that what you're asking me?" he said.
"No, I'm very specific in what I'm asking you. Are you aware of a perception that they way that they ..." Harris said.
"I see none," Vitiello said.
And that is because there is no comparisons to be made. In case Harris hasn’t noticed, ICE agents wear uniforms, follow the law, and carry out their duties in broad daylight. They do not, contrary to the senator’s dark imagination, threaten to rape, lynch, or firebomb black people.
It was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who first made calls to abolish ICE fashionable. Once that New York Democrat defeated incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in the primary, progressives everywhere started echoing the trendy talking point. And while that was stupid (immigration would have been turned over to then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, no pushover on the issue), it wasn’t as irresponsible as the way Harris just demonized law enforcement.
If Harris wants to be president, or even just a decent human being, she should apologize. The country doesn’t share her views on ICE, and voters outside of California will see attempts to weaken the agency as attempts to undermine the security of the country.
Harris could learn from her newest Democratic colleague from Arizona. Soon to be sworn in Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is no immigration hawk. At the same time, Sinema supports beefing up border security and has voted in favor of House resolutions backing a beleaguered ICE agency. She is making an honest effort to fix the problem. Harris, however, seems more concerned with winning cheap partisan points. It will be to her own political detriment.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/o...stem-is-racist
