US Vice President JD Vance on Thursday defended the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies, arguing resistance from local governments has contributed to disorder in some cities.
Speaking to a crowd in the state of Ohio, Vance said he would travel next to Minnesota to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and local officials to discuss federal immigration operations.
"Now I'm headed from here to Minneapolis, where we're going to talk with some of our ICE agents, talk with local officials about how we can turn down the chaos.
"My simple piece of advice to them is going to be, look, if you want to turn down the chaos in Minneapolis, stop fighting immigration enforcement and accept that we have to have a border in this country. It's not that hard," he said.
Vance said the administration would continue to prioritize the removal of undocumented immigrants with criminal records.
Addressing concerns about mistakes by law enforcement, Vance acknowledged that errors can occur but said the vast majority of officers act appropriately.
"You're always going to have mistakes made in law enforcement ...That's the nature of law enforcement. But the number one way where we could lower the mistakes that are happening, at least with our immigration enforcement, is to have local jurisdictions that are cooperating with us," he said.
Vance's visit comes amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis following the fatal Jan. 7 shooting involving an ICE agent that left 37-year-old Renee Good dead in a case that has drawn nationwide attention and stirred protests.
Responding to a question from Anadolu during the public appearance, Vance was asked what message he would offer to members of the law enforcement community who are looking to the administration for reassurance, as well as to families affected by the current climate.
"Well, you know, one of the things that we want to do is send a message to our local law enforcement that we stand with them, and we're not going to abandon them," Vance replied.
Emphasizing support, Vance added, "I promise them, every single police officer in this country, and every single federal law enforcement officer in this country, we have your back."
