Whoopi Goldberg walks back comments suggesting ICE agents are ‘violent criminals’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: 'The View' co-host Whoopi Goldberg walked back her comments on Monday, January 12, after suggesting that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were “violent criminals,” and clarified that her concern was about accountability within the federal law enforcement agency.

Goldberg said during Monday’s segment of the talk show, “Nobody wants this. This is not what you said they were going to be, this is the thing, you said you were going after the bad guys. That’s what you said, the violent criminals. And what does it turn out? The violent criminals seem to be in the agency.”

Whoopi Goldberg says she was not accusing ICE agents of being criminals

Following a commercial break during Monday’s show, Whoopi Goldberg walked back her comments and clarified her earlier statement, saying she was not accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents of being criminals.

“Before folks gather around and say, ‘Oh! She’s accusing all of the folks at ICE of being criminals!’ That is not what I’m doing. And just so I’m clear, it feels sometimes that there is no one watching the hen house. OK? So before y’all start blowing it into all kinds of other stuff, just know that it’s nuanced speaking,” she said.

Meanwhile, co-host Sunny Hostin suggested, “I think you meant the lack of accountability, because you’ve had nine shootings by ICE agents against various people. We haven’t heard much reporting on it, and no one has been held accountable, and we don’t know the status of the investigation. So that does feel like there is a lack of accountability and transparency.”

Goldberg replied, "You are very kind, and I appreciate that." 

37-year-old Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis last Wednesday after allegedly swerving her car toward the agent. The Department of Homeland Security said the agent’s use of force was an act of “self-defense.”

Protests erupted across the country following her death, leading to further confrontations between protesters and law enforcement. 

Alyssa Griffin says 'nobody signed up for this'

During the show on Monday, Sunny Hostin said prior to Goldberg’s comments, “You see ‘Abolish ICE’ now. That was a lefty thing before. Everyone was saying, ‘Abolish ICE, you should never say that, you should never say that’.”

She added, “I think people, red states, blue states, these are the United States of America and people don’t want to see m*rder, killing in the streets.”

Meanwhile, co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin argued that though some may support ICE’s role in law enforcement, “Nobody signed up for this. Nobody said this is what we wanted.” 

As the panel spiraled over the ICE officer’s actions, co-host Sara Haines said, “It is a reminder as this is happening in our country that we have to have peaceful protests because I think anytime you have someone that is obstructing or cutting people off, they…she does not deserve to be dead, but that is also creating this situation of a tinderbox.”

“This is why we’re seeing more shootings right now is these legal watchers step back, record everything. Get it all down, but the fact that she was cutting off the road also contributed to the heat of this situation,” she added.

"We’ve got to remain peaceful. You can leave no room for error on this," Haines mentioned.