Pence rips Democrats on immigration, backs ICE

‘DNA’ helps reunite families

WASHINGTON, July 7, (Agencies): Vice President Mike Pence on Friday accused Democrats of making opposition to the federal immigration agency central to their party, calling for an end to “spurious attacks” on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In an address at ICE headquarters infused with electoral politics, Pence noted that some prominent Democrats had called for the abolition of the agency charged with detaining and deporting migrants entering the country illegally. He said President Donald Trump would fully support immigration enforcement agents and warned that the abolition of ICE would lead to more illegal immigration, human trafficking, violent crime and the proliferation of drugs and “vicious gangs.”

“It isn’t just the expression of the radical left that has been speaking out against ICE. The truth is that opposition of ICE has moved to the center of the Democratic Party itself,” Pence said in a speech to ICE employees. “Just when you thought the Democrats couldn’t move farther to the left, leading members of the Democratic Party, including candidates for higher office, are actually openly advocating the abolition of ICE.”

“The American people have the right to their opinions, but these spurious attacks on ICE by our political leaders must stop,” Pence said.

The dispute over the federal agency has emerged as a political fault line after the Trump administration began separating migrant children from their parents after they crossed the US-Mexico border, leading to nationwide protests last weekend. Trump has made border security a focus of his message as he aims to prevent a Democratic takeover of Congress in the November midterm elections.

Meanwhile, the US government, under court order to quickly reunify parents and children who were separated after crossing illegally into the United States from Mexico, has expanded its use of DNA tests to establish paternity in immigration matters.

The government says DNA testing is a faster means of confirming parentage than relying on assembling documents such as birth certificates.

Under President Barack Obama, DNA testing of unauthorized border-crossers was rare, former administration officials said, but one said it was sometimes used as a last resort to verify family connections when placing unaccompanied minors with sponsors in the United States.

It was also used, and still is, to verify family ties of many refugees seeking permission for family members to join them in the United States.

Pence