A Democratic councilman called on the Trump administration Tuesday during a Newsmax segment to levy criminal charges against Democratic officials who oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.
Amid widespread ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal records, Democratic New York City council member Robert Holden voiced support for ICE’s crackdown and accused fellow Democrats of “plotting against Trump” and actively seeking to hinder law enforcement efforts. Holden further criticized his colleagues for their lack of support in promoting safer streets and reducing crimes.
“They’re actually plotting against Trump. They started from day one,” Holden told Rob Schmitt. “The state level, the far left, the socialists, are drafting legislation as we speak to try to put up more obstacles and prevent ICE from doing their job.”
Holden advocated for using stringent measures against what he perceives as sabotage against federal law enforcement.
“I hope President Trump and certainly Tom Homan come up with actual felonies and charge these elected officials. My party, I want my country back,” Holden continued. “When you’re going to put up obstacles to prevent the ICE from taking criminals off our streets, you shouldn’t be in office. You shouldn’t be a member of leadership in New York City, New York State, or anywhere else in our country.”
Holden says only one or two Democrats actively advocate for stricter enforcement policies on the New York City Council.
“The people with common sense in this country and many of the people with common sense are Democrats but they have to speak out like I’m doing. Generally I’m the only one there’s one or two of us in the city council out of 51 members that really Democrats that speak out and say you know what we we want safer streets. We want a safer city, we don’t want criminals running around. We don’t need to import more criminals here in New York City we have enough so let’s let’s get this straight and let’s get this right,” Holden said.
In recent years, New York City has had an influx of hundreds of thousands of illegal migrants, prompting billions of dollars be spent on food, shelter and other government accommodations. The surge led to stricter shelter regulations and pushed Democratic New York Mayor Eric Adams to implement a 5% budget cut across all agencies in September 2023.
Crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants have shaken the nation in the past year. These included a Guatemalan national accused of burning a woman alive on the subway, a Venezuelan migrant who was convicted of the murder of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley after his relocation from the city and a Nicaraguan man who was charged with raping a woman at knifepoint, having been previously arrested for another sexual assault.
The Trump administration is working to ramp up immigration arrests and enhance its deportation strategy. Following an executive order that declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, the administration dispatched troops and utilized military aircraft to bolster deportation efforts.
ICE also removed restrictions on so-called sensitive locations, such as schools and hospitals, where deportation officers were once prohibited from conducting enforcement activities. Additionally, the Trump administration extended expedited removal policies, enabling immigration officials to deport illegal migrants nationwide without court proceedings.
Featured Image Credit: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
