Mitch Landrieu Blasts ICE Boss on Illegals

Mayor Mitch Landrieu of New Orleans, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, let the  acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Thomas Homan, know he's not on the same page when it comes to illegals.

“When some law enforcement agencies fail to honor detainers or release serious criminal offenders, they—it undermines ICE’s ability to protect public safety and carry out its mission. Most work with us, but many don’t in the largest cities, and that is where criminal aliens and criminal gangs flourish," he said at the White house on June 28.

At a press breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor Wednesday morning, Newsmax asked Mayor Landrieu: “What is your reaction to this statement, and will you cooperate with ICE?”

“First of all, he’s just wrong,” replied Landrieu, who has been recently mentioned as a Democratic presidential hopeful in 2020. “That kind of rhetoric is really not helpful, especially from that particular podium. I'm not aware of any mayor or any police department that releases violent criminals on the streets of America."

He went on to specifically criticize Homan, saying “Our No. 1 priority is taking violent criminals, especially those people in gangs, off of the streets. But, guess what? If you look at all of the numbers, it's not just in the immigrant community, it's in our communities as well.”

“Our police officers keep the streets safe irrespective of immigration status and we do so all the time."

According to Landrieu, in previous meetings, he has asked the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security to give clear direction so that they can police constitutionally.

“We want to continue to constructively communicate, but they have been vague about what they want, how to execute it, and the resources to get that done,” said the mayor. “We are here. We continue to want to talk.”

“Heightened rhetoric does not help constructive solutions to problems that are real for us,” said Landrieu.

When asked about the statements made by Mayor Landrieu, ICE’s Spokeswoman, Jennifer Elzea, told Newsmax, “I think Acting Director Homan’s comments speak for themselves.”