Acting ICE Director Mark Morgan says he's got 'green light' to continue removing illegal immigrants
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump decided Saturday to postpone Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and mass deportations across the country, set to begin Sunday, to give Democrats more time to reach a bipartisan agreement about the immigration crisis at the southern border.
TRUMP DELAYS PLANNED ICE RAIDS TO SEE IF CONGRESS CAN SOLVE BORDER CRISIS
The change of heart came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, called Trump on Friday, asking him to call off the raids, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Acting ICE Director Mark Morgan said on "Justice with Judge Jeanine" on Fox News on Saturday that the postponement will "give Congress another chance on a bipartisan method to actually get together, pass this supplement, so that we can enforce the rule of law, positively impact this crisis and maintain the integrity of this system."
The administration has been ramping up pressure on Congress amid the escalating crisis at the southern border, as more than 140,000 migrants were encountered or apprehended at the border in May.
"It's outrageous. Congress should get together and fix this," Morgan said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite the postponement, Morgan insists ICE's aggressive removal tactics to remove any individual, criminal or not, who has a court-ordered deportation won't stop.
"I've got the green light to anyone that's here in violation of federal immigration law, I have the authority and the support to go after them, apply consequences, and remove them."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It's just not about the numbers, Morgan said. "We need to continue to do interior enforcement against anyone who is here illegally including families because [if] we do that, I promise the American people, we start removing people that had final orders including families, the numbers will go down, this crisis will be positively impacted."
Morgan said despite being "hopeful" that Congress will pass tighter restrictions to quell the growing number of illegal immigrants coming into the U.S., mostly from Central America, he remains "skeptical" about a deal being reached.