Todd Lyons, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told Newsmax on Friday that he vehemently rejects Democrat Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s request to suspend federal immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area over the Halloween weekend.
Pritzker had formally requested Thursday that ICE and its federal partners halt enforcement action in the region for three days so children could “safely celebrate Halloween.”
On “Rob Schmitt Tonight,” Lyons described the governor’s appeal as “pretty embarrassing.”
“I’d say to the governor, the children of Illinois don’t deserve to be raped by criminal illegal aliens,” Lyons said.
“They don’t deserve to be trafficked in sex trafficking or forced labor. So, the governor needs to refocus his attention on what’s really happening in his state.”
Lyons said he fully supported the response by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who called Pritzker’s appeal “shameful.”
Noem said Thursday that ICE agents will be out in full force to ensure public safety and protect families and trick-or-treaters.
“I’m proud of what the secretary said,” Lyons said. “She did a great job, and she said, what the men and women of ICE all say, is the fact that criminals don’t take off Halloween.
“And no, we’re not out there zip-tying children, arresting children, separating children, stealing kids’ candies on Halloween. We’re not going to be tear-gassing anybody, but it’s not going to stop our federal mission to go out and arrest criminal aliens that are wreaking havoc in Chicago.”
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