Todd Lyons, the appearing head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended his company’s officers earlier than Congress on Tuesday (February 10, 2026), standing behind their techniques and saying they’d not be intimidated as they perform the president’s mass deportation plans.
Mr. Lyons was one of many three heads of businesses implementing President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda to testify in a listening to referred to as after the capturing deaths of two Individuals by the hands of federal officers. They confronted fierce questioning from Democrats, and assist from most Republicans, over how they’re prosecuting immigration enforcement inside American cities.
“Let me ship a message to anybody who thinks they will intimidate us. You’ll fail,” mentioned Lyons, who blamed elected officers and protesters for escalating rhetoric that he mentioned endangered his officers. Mr. Lyons, who at numerous factors declined to remark straight on the killings of the 2 U.S. residents, mentioned his officers wouldn’t be deterred.
“We’re solely getting began,” he mentioned in opening remarks.
Mr. Trump’s immigration marketing campaign has been closely scrutinized in latest weeks, particularly after the capturing deaths in Minneapolis. The businesses have additionally confronted criticism for a wave of insurance policies that detractors say trample on the rights of each immigrants going through arrest and Individuals protesting the enforcement actions. Tuesday’s (February 10, 2026) testimony is unlikely to quell simmering tensions over the centrepiece coverage of Trump’s second time period.
Mr. Lyons, the appearing ICE director, Rodney Scott, who heads U.S. Customs and Border Safety, and Joseph Edlow, who’s the director of US Citizenship and Immigration Providers, spoke in entrance of the Home Committee on Homeland Safety in a listening to that lasted roughly three and a half hours.
Company leaders testify as DHS faces a funding lapse
That is the primary time all three have appeared in Congress for the reason that division obtained an enormous infusion of cash from Congress final summer season and since immigration enforcement operations intensified throughout the nation.
Underneath Mr. Lyons’ management, ICE has undergone a large hiring growth and immigration officers have deployed in beefed-up enforcement operations designed to extend arrests and deportations.
The officers spoke at a time of falling public assist for the way their businesses are finishing up Mr. Trump’s immigration imaginative and prescient. Their testimony comes as Democratic lawmakers in Congress are demanding restraints on immigration officers earlier than agreeing to fund the Division of Homeland Safety. The company heads warned the nation could be much less secure if federal funds expire on the finish of the week.
Tuesday’s (February 10, 2026) listening to was referred to as after federal officers shot and killed Alex Pretti and Renee Good, which sparked outrage throughout the nation and calls for for accountability and reform. Lyons and Scott mentioned normal working procedures had been adopted within the January shootings.
Tensions flared and the listening to sparked heated exchanges — the Democrats evaluating the enforcement operations to Nazi Germany and questioning how the administration officers will probably be judged — the chairman at occasions gaveling the lawmakers again to order.
The rating Democratic member of the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, referred to as the listening to the “begin of a reckoning” and mentioned Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem needs to be held accountable. Thompson mentioned the division has blocked lawmakers from visiting detention amenities and must be extra aware of questions.
“Each American needs to be outraged,” Mr. Thompson mentioned.
Republicans shifted consideration again to Biden-era insurance policies, which allowed numerous migrants to enter the nation, and mentioned the Trump administration has sealed the U.S.-Mexico border and is ending a “lawlessness” within the nation’s immigration system.
Buying and selling blame over the rising tensions
Opening the listening to, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, chairman of the committee, referred to as the second an “inflection level.” The New York Republican mentioned the deaths of the 2 U.S. residents had been “unacceptable and preventable.” The administration says that activists and protesters against its operations are those ratcheting up assaults on their officers, not the opposite manner round, and that their immigration enforcement operations are making the nation safer by discovering and eradicating individuals who’ve dedicated crimes or pose a menace to the nation.
Mr. Scott lashed out at what he referred to as an “unprecedented stage of aggressive interference and intimidation” towards federal officers in the middle of doing their jobs, calling “assaults” on federal officers “coordinated and nicely funded.” Since Trump returned to the White Home, Customs and Border Safety has taken on a big function in arresting and eradicating unlawful immigrants from contained in the nation. That elevated exercise has develop into a flashpoint for controversy and marks a break from the company’s conventional job of defending borders and controlling who and what enters the nation.
Uncommon pushback from Republican member
One Republican member of Congress prompt that it was Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino who had contributed to the escalation in tensions over immigration enforcement, particularly in Minneapolis.
“I’d argue, in equity, that he escalated the state of affairs,” Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas mentioned.
Underneath Mr. Bovino, a gaggle of Border Patrol brokers hopscotched across the nation to operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Charlotte, North Carolina and New Orleans the place they had been usually accused of indiscriminately questioning and arresting individuals they suspected had been within the nation illegally. Mr. Bovino says his targets are official and recognized by means of intelligence and says that if his officers use pressure to make an arrest, it is as a result of it is warranted.
A Border Patrol agent and Customs and Border Safety officer each opened hearth throughout Pretti’s capturing loss of life. Good was shot and killed by an ICE officer.
After the Pretti capturing, Mr. Bovino was reassigned and Mr. Trump despatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to imagine management, a transfer McCaul praised.
Mr. Lyons mentioned that de-escalation was as a result of protests had diminished, permitting ICE “to do their focused, intelligence pushed enforcement operation.”
Lyons will not make officers take off masks
A key level of stress in Congressional debates over the President’s immigration agenda has been whether or not officers needs to be allowed to put on masks whereas finishing up their jobs. Democrats are pushing to make officers take off the masks as a part of price range negotiations.
Rep. Tim Kennedy, a Democrat from New York, requested Mr. Lyons if he would commit to creating his officers take off their masks. Mr. Lyons answered, “No,” which Kennedy referred to as a “unhappy response.” Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, asking Mr. Lyons about allegations that Americans had been being caught up in immigration enforcement operations, mentioned higher transparency in DHS operations could be helpful.
Mr. Lyons mentioned he was dedicated to transparency, pointing to his assist for officers to be outfitted with physique cameras. He and Mr. Scott mentioned hundreds of officers deployed now wore them, with extra to come back.
Ms. Noem mentioned final week that each DHS officer on the bottom in Minneapolis would instantly be issued these cameras and that this system will probably be expanded nationwide as funding turns into accessible.
Printed – February 11, 2026 07:32 am IST