Peter King Defends Border Patrol: ‘Only Two’ Kids Have Died in Their Custody
On Friday, Congressman Peter King (R-NY) seemed to diminish criticism against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by saying “only two children” have died this month while in the custody of border patrol after migrating to the United States.
In an interview with Fox News’ Julie Banderas, King was asked for his thoughts on Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen‘s trip to the southern border. This trip comes as the DHS faces outrage over the two Guatemalan youths who died in Federal custody, while receiving medical assistance for their deteriorating conditions.
King said that the deaths were tragic, but ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) didn’t do anything wrong in either scenario. He applauded Nielsen for taking her trip down south and enacting new medical screenings for migrants detained at the border.
“I think it’s wrong to be blaming ICE. They’ve had hundreds of thousands of people that they had custody of over the years, and I think these are the only two children that have died, certainly in recent memory. So, considering all of that and what happens in housing projects across the country, I think ICE has an excellent record and I’d be reluctant to be doing any piling on here right now to make political points with this.”
Banderas agreed with King’s argument, saying the father of the boy who died on Christmas was not really seeking asylum and thought he could use his son as a “tool” to improve his chances of getting into the U.S.
Watch above, via Fox News.
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