'It's time to go home': DHS chief responds to Rep Jayapal over 'no threat' immigrant claim

WASHINGTON, DC: Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin slammed Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal after she argued that majority of the immigrants detained by ICE for illegally entering the border were not threatening.

Nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants were arrested by ICE nationwide.

Markwayne Mullin fires back at Pramila Jayapal's claim

After Representative for Washington's 7th congressional district Pramila Jayapal claimed that the "majority of people" arrested by DHS pose "absolutely no threat to public safety,” Mullin reiterated that ICE is only targeting high-risk individuals.

Appearing on Fox News' 'Saturday in America', Mullin rejected Jayapal’s characterization, saying that DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) remain committed to targeting high-risk individuals to keep American communities safe and arguing that crimes committed by illegal immigrants have led to tragedy.

"If we're going to have national security in this country, we [need to] know everybody that's entered this country. And so, I'm not going to release you back into the public once we know that you entered this country illegally," Mullin said. "It's time for you to go home."

"All the angel families that lost their loved ones at the hands of an illegal is 100% preventable, because that illegal shouldn't be in our country to begin with," the DHS chief added.

Pramila Jayapal says ICE targets low-risk immigrants

A ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, Pramila Jayapal argued that immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has targeted immigrants without criminal convictions.

"For the first time this summer, the majority of people that DHS arrested were people who posed absolutely no threat to public safety, and the number of people with criminal convictions who are arrested by ICE actually decreased — decreased, not increased," Jayapal said during a hearing last week.

She further argued that redirecting DHS agents to the streets to track illegal immigrants instead of solving major criminal cases makes the country more unsafe.

"That’s because when DHS expends all of its energy to go after parents, longtime friends, neighbors, when [Homeland Security Investigations] agents who are supposed to investigate serious crime are instead being moved to street sweeps and riding along with local police for random traffic stops, we are less safe, not more safe," she added.

According to DHS, ICE arrested nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants nationwide in August, marking the highest monthly total on record.

The department also claimed that ICE has deported more than 2,000 known or suspected radical extremists since Trump took office.