President Focuses on Border Security During State of the Union

During the State of the Union, President Trump placed focus on the importance of border security and supporting federal law enforcement. The president noted the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and voiced support for legislation that combats immigration “sanctuary cities.” Law enforcement groups echoed these sentiments in response.

During the State of the Union, President Trump said, “A better tomorrow for all Americans also requires us to keep America safe. That means supporting the men and women of law enforcement at every level, including our nation’s heroic ICE officers.”

The president followed this remark by reporting that ICE officers arrested more than 120,000 people living in the country illegally, including criminals who were charged with nearly 10,000 burglaries, 5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 violent assaults, and 2,000 murders. The president also noted that in the last three years, ICE has arrested over 5,000 human traffickers.

Following stories of criminal activity by individuals living in the country illegally, the president called upon Congress to pass the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act “immediately.” The legislation would allow individuals living in sanctuary cities to sue their city in the event that they are a victim of a crime committed by an individual living in the country illegally.

In response, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) President Larry Cosme said via social media, “We appreciate the President’s acknowledgment of the important work ICE does every day to protect and defend America. Sanctuary city policies prevent ICE from performing one of their important jobs- removing criminal illegal aliens. These policies interfere with law enforcement cooperation and place criminals that do not belong here back on the streets of America, making those streets more dangerous for everyone. These policies need to end. Those sanctuary cities should be liable from any harm their policies cause.”

FLEOA, which represents over 27,000 federal law enforcement officers, also shared a graphic endorsing the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act and other legislation to outlaw sanctuary jurisdictions.

President Trump also honored Deputy Chief of Border Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz during the speech while noting the work Customs and Border Protection (CBP) does to combat narcotics and human smuggling along the border. According to the president, over the last 24 months, Agent Ortiz and his team have seized more than 200,000 pounds of poisonous narcotics, arrested more than 3,000 human smugglers, and rescued more than 2,000 migrants.