Former President Donald Trump harshly criticized Vice President Kamala Harris during a Michigan rally on Friday after federal immigration authorities revealed that close to 15,000 illegal immigrants convicted or accused of homicide are in the United States without being in their custody. During his speech at a walker rally near Grand Rapids, Trump claimed that Harris is responsible for allowing American sons and daughters to be raped and murdered by these violent criminals.
This statement comes as Kamala Harris was en route to Arizona to visit the US-Mexico border region for the second time since becoming Vice President. ICE provided detailed numbers regarding migrants in their custody who have been convicted or accused of crimes to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) on Wednesday, and Gonzales published the data on Friday prior to Harris’ arrival at the border.
Trump suggested that the release of this information might not be a mere coincidence. He speculated that someone from ICE or another patriotic individual decided to act on their own initiative, sharing the shocking figures as a call to action for the country. Gonzales tweeted about the ICE data, stating, “As of July 21, 2024, there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on ICE’s national docket — 13,099 criminally convicted MURDERS! Americans deserve to be SAFE in our own communities.
Acting ICE Director Patrick Lechleitner’s letter did not indicate how many criminal migrants crossed the border during Harris and Biden’s administration or how many were currently in state or local custody. Trump expressed his disbelief at these numbers, claiming that they should have been released much earlier to allow for proper action to be taken.
She doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing,” he added of Harris. She should resign in disgrace for what she’s done to our country, not run for president.” Trump has consistently stated this week that Harris should have implemented stricter border policies during her time as vice president. In response, Harris has placed the blame on Republicans for tanking a bipartisan border security spending bill, which she claims is the reason why the migrant crisis persists.
On Friday, however, Kamala Harris is expected to announce further measures if elected, such as implementing stronger emergency authorities, seemingly playing right into criticism from Trump and other elected Republicans regarding her handling of the border situation.
