Ex-ICE Director Says US ‘Not Safe’ Amid Bipartisan Support for Migration Curbs

The Biden-Harris administration is “not keeping Americans safe, a former ICE director has claimed, in the wake of polling that shows growing bipartisan support for immigration curbs.
Tom Feeley, the retired director of New York removals for ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) criticized the White House for its record on illegal immigration, accusing them of a lax approach to the border question.
“The Biden administration has been the worst administration as far as border security goes,” he told Fox News on Thursday.
“I’ve worked with every president since papa Bush, and the reality – and the fact is – the border was secure under President Trump,” he added.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House for a response.
Feeley’s intervention comes in the wake of polls that demonstrate a shift in public attitudes toward border security and immigration, with both Republican and Democrat voters signaling they want tighter controls on immigration.
A recent Gallup poll showed Republicans and Democrats backing former president Donald Trump’s calls for tighter immigration curbs, with 55% of respondents wanting immigration levels decreased, while 25% favored levels remaining the same.
Only 16% of participants wanted immigration figures to increase, the lowest level since 2009.
The Gallup survey represented the first time since 2005 that the majority of Americans feel that immigration levels should be cut down.
Meanwhile, an Economist/YouGov Poll released Thursday suggested immigration is the most important issue in this election for about a quarter of Trump supporters.
Both Harris supporters (17%) and Trump supporters (31%) were most likely to cite inflation and the cost of living as their most important issue.
But different issues rank after inflation as the most important among Harris supporters and Trump supporters: Among Harris supporters, there’s a three-way tie between health care, abortion, and climate change (13% each); among Trump supporters, immigration (26%) and jobs and the economy (11%) follow inflation in priority.