Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and President Joe Biden’s pick to run U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement battled over “profiling” immigrants.
“Wouldn’t you say a 15-, 16-, 17-year-old immigrant male would certainly fit the profile of somebody who might be in a gang? Or be recruited by a gang? Or be used by the drug traffickers to traffic their drugs, right?” Johnson said during Harris County, Tex., Sheriff Ed Gonzalez’s confirmation hearing Thursday.
He added, “Don’t you find that in law enforcement? It’s a minor that’s trafficking the drugs because they don’t get put away for dozens and dozens of years because they’re a minor. Isn’t that what the reality of the situation is? We are letting in people that are potentially gang members. We are letting in people that are going to be trafficking drugs or human trafficking. Isn’t that your experience as Houston’s sheriff?”
Gonzalez replied, “I’m always mindful of not profiling… So I try to look at the facts.”
Johnson insisted, “That’s not profiling.”
Watch the exchange below:
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI): “Wouldn’t you say a 15-, 16-, 17-year-old immigrant male would certainly fit the profile of somebody who might be in a gang …?
— The Recount (@therecount) July 15, 2021
Biden ICE nominee Ed Gonzalez: “I’m always mindful of not profiling … so I try to look at the facts.” pic.twitter.com/6a98BZBHOq
During his testimony, Gonzalez vowed to “uphold our nation’s laws.”
The Washington Post notes immigration arrests have been limited under the Biden administration to those who have recently crossed the border and convicted criminals who threaten public safety.
The outlet also points out when Biden nominated Gonzalez in April, federal detention centers were holding just over 15,000 immigrants. As of July 9, more than 27,650 people were detained.
According to the Post, “ICE detains and deports immigrants, but also has an investigative arm, Homeland Security Investigations, which arrests Americans and foreign nationals alike for crimes such as human trafficking.”