Rand Paul Fires Back at Katie Couric for Downplaying ICE’s Arrests of Violent Criminals
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This article originally appeared on the Daily Caller News Foundation and was republished with permission.
Guest post by Jason Cohen
Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul clashed with journalist Katie Couric as she minimized the reported percentage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of violent criminals during an interview posted to her YouTube channel on Wednesday.
During the interview on her channel, Couric quoted CBS News’s Monday reporting that out of around 400,000 immigrants ICE arrested during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term, less than 14% had violent criminal records, according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by the outlet. Paul argued that the percentage should not be the focus, noting that if Couric’s daughter were raped by an illegal immigrant, the percentage would not matter to her.
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“[I]sn’t all this talk about ridding the country of violent criminals a massive overstatement if less than 14%, again, of the 400,000 immigrants being arrested had charges or convictions for violent criminal offenses?” Couric asked.
Paul criticized Minneapolis for what he said was a policy of refusing to turn over jailed illegal immigrant criminals, regardless of their crimes. He said he believed the majority of Americans were moderate and disapproved of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by Border Patrol agents, but also supported deporting convicted and incarcerated illegal immigrant rapists.
“But having said that, though, what about the 14%, such a low percentage of 400,000 people?” Couric asked.
“If your daughter gets raped by the guy that gets back out and he’s one of the 14%, I don’t think you’re going to quibble about whether it’s 14 or 64 … if you’re not going to turn over anybody, then that’s 0%,” Paul replied. “I don’t think the percentage — it makes a halfway argument to how much effort should we have. But if Minnesota’s not going to turn over anybody, the whole argument whether it’s 14 or 86 doesn’t mean anything.”
Border czar Tom Homan on Feb. 4 announced a withdrawal of 700 federal law enforcement personnel from Minnesota. He highlighted an “increase in unprecedented collaboration” with state and local authorities, including access to jails.
“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets … this is efficient,” Homan said. “It requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target rather than eight or ten officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat.”
Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey of Minneapolis had initially asserted that police would not cooperate with ICE’s operation during an interview with WCCO, a CBS-affiliated TV station in the city, that aired on Dec. 7.
Moreover, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin pushed back on CBS News’ reporting in a Monday X post.
“Drug trafficking, Distribution of child pornography, burglary, fraud, DUI, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor, human smuggling are all categorized as ‘non violent crimes,’” she wrote.
McLaughlin also said that about 70% of illegal immigrants the Trump administration has arrested “have pending criminal charges or prior convictions.”
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Senator Paul is a doctor. It might have been better to include some crimes that are considered "non-violent"(not a complete list): drug trafficking, manufacturing of drugs, distribution of child pornography, burglary, fraud, forgery, tax crimes, due, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor, human smuggling, prostitution. So, if 14% have violent criminal histories, the other 86% (344,000) fall into the above category.