Vance backs ICE but acknowledges need to prosecute when officers ‘screw up’
JD Vance, Vice President, praised the dedication of ICE officers, describing most as patriots committed to protecting the country. Though, he acknowledged that some officers make mistakes or misconduct, which must be addressed through investigation and accountability. Vance highlighted several incidents involving excessive force,including fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota and a Colombian man in Maine, and also nonfatal shootings like one in the bronx. He emphasized that misconduct cases are investigated internally, with disciplinary actions taken when necessary, though details are often not publicized. for example, ICE officer Jonathan Ross, responsible for the fatal shooting of Good, was placed on administrative leave and later reassigned, but has not faced criminal charges. Vance also discussed broader issues around accountability and political consequences, including potential repercussions for selling access to the White House. The interview, conducted at a town hall in Michigan, will air on CBS, revealing his stance on holding officials accountable for misconduct and unethical behavior.
Vice President JD Vance spoke highly of the men and women who serve in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but he acknowledged that officers who “screw up” need to be held accountable by the Trump administration.
“Most of them are amazing people who are patriots and they want to do a good job protecting their country,” Vance told CBS Evening News anchor Tony Dokoupil in a pretaped interview. “Sometimes, you have some people who make mistakes. Sometimes, you have some people who really screw up. And obviously, we have a responsibility to prosecute, investigate when people do screw up.”
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As the administration continues conducting immigration enforcement actions, there have been many reported instances in which ICE officers have used excessive force. In some cases, death has resulted.
U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti were shot and killed by immigration officers in Minnesota earlier this year, and there have been other fatal incidents. In July, a Colombian man was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Maine.
There have also been nonfatal shootings. Last week, a Dominican immigrant was shot by an ICE officer in the Bronx while driving his child. After getting shot in the neck, he was promptly hospitalized and held in federal custody.
When Dokoupil pressed Vance on the “biggest mistakes” regarding ICE operations, the vice president did not give a direct response but said the administration has quietly investigated cases in which officers have been accused of misconduct.
“There are a number of cases where we’ve investigated and either provided further training or sometimes even provided disciplinary situations within ICE,” he said. “We don’t always advertise that stuff, as you know, Tony, because we believe that people have to be judged in a court of law and through a normal investigatory process.”
After fatally shooting Good in January, ICE officer Jonathan Ross was placed on administrative leave and later reassigned out of Minnesota. The Department of Homeland Security has not said where Ross was relocated after Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) had reason to believe he was moved to her state. Ross is so far not facing either federal or state criminal charges.
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Vance sat down for the interview at a one-hour town hall event in Michigan this week. The full interview will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. Saturday.
In a prior video clip from the interview, Vance said those caught “selling access” to the White House should be met with consequences after Kimberly Guilfoyle, the former U.S. ambassador to Greece, resigned over that very reason.
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