free stats

Published On: Tue, Feb 10th, 2026

Swalwell to ICE Director: “Will You Stand With The Kids You’re Supposed To Protect, Or The Killers Bringing Terror To Our Streets?”

Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell grills Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, asking him to resign over the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, at a hearing Tuesday morning:

REP. ERIC SWALWELL: A couple of nights ago, I met with a woman who works as a cashier at a grocery store, and I told her I was coming to see you, Mr. Lyons. She said, Will you ask him? – and she didn’t want to give her name. She was terrified to give her name. She said when I get off my shift around midnight and I walk through the parking lot to my car, if somebody rolls up in an unidentified van and gets out wearing all black, their face is covered, and they don’t have any identification, and they ask me to get into the van – how do I know who they are? How does she know, Mr. Lyons? How does she know if they’re an ICE agent or bad guys? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Sir, ICE agents have identifiable placards on their uniforms as well as their badges, Representative. But you won’t see ICE agents rolling through parking lots and just snatching someone up. ICE does intelligence-driven, targeted enforcement operations. ERIC SWALWELL: Well, Mr. Homan and others have said that they target individuals based on the color of their skin and the accents that they speak, and that’s why people are running through the fields and factories where they work. Director Lyons, last year you said in Phoenix at the Border Security Expo that you wanted to see a deportation process that was like, quote, Amazon Prime, but with human beings. Mr. Lyons, how many times has Amazon Prime shot a mom three times in the face? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: None, sir. ERIC SWALWELL: That’s right. ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Yes, sir. But if we’re going to go down that route of my comment – I did say that comment. However, that comment was taken out of context. If you go back and watch the video, I said that we need to be more efficient when it comes to removing individuals from the United States, because ICE doesn’t detain punitively. We detain to remove. I don’t want to see people in custody. At the end of my statement was – and again, to your point – it was an industry day for AI and efficiencies. But I did say at the end of it, We deal with human beings, so we can’t be like them. That’s the key part that you’re leaving out. ERIC SWALWELL: Well, speaking of human beings, how many times has Amazon Prime shot a nurse ten times in the back? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: None. ERIC SWALWELL: How many times has Amazon Prime dragged a woman out of her car by her hair and then dragged her down the street? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: None. ERIC SWALWELL: How many ICE agents have been fired for their conduct under your leadership? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Sir, I can get you that data. I’ll get back to you. ERIC SWALWELL: Is it more than one? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: I’m not going to speak about personnel actions, but I’ll get you that data. ERIC SWALWELL: Can you tell us if at least – God, I hope at least – one person has been fired for their conduct since these operations have begun? Are you telling us you can’t even say one person’s been fired? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Sir, I’m not going to talk about personnel actions, but we will get back to you. ERIC SWALWELL: But two people have been killed so far, is that right? A nurse named Pretti and a mom named Good. Two people have been killed so far. ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Yes, sir. ERIC SWALWELL: Mr. Lyons, will you apologize to the family of Renee Good for being called a domestic terrorist by the president and his leadership? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: No, sir. ERIC SWALWELL: Why not? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Sir, I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private, but I’m not going to comment on any active investigation. ERIC SWALWELL: Is she a domestic terrorist? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Sir, I’m not going to comment on the investigation. ERIC SWALWELL: And the president and Secretary Noem are elected officials. ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: That’s your right to their comments, but as career law enforcement, we won’t speak to any- ERIC SWALWELL: Do you agree with their comments, sir? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: I’m not going to talk about any ongoing investigation. ERIC SWALWELL: Will you apologize to the family of Alex Pretti for also being called a domestic terrorist? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Sir, again, I’m not going to speak to any ongoing investigation. Mr. Lyons, your staying on to lead ICE is a decision. I’ve read your background. You have a decorated career. You’ve served in the military. You are what I would call otherwise employable. I think most people would agree this is not the only job you could get. But since you’ve been on this job, women have been dragged by their hair through our streets. A six-year-old child battling stage-four cancer has been deported – and it turns out he was a U.S. citizen. People are running through the fields where they work. People who’ve gone into the streets as allies have been shot and publicly executed. It’s a decision to stay on at this point. Considering your honorable service in the past and the dishonorable acts that those who have worked for you have conducted – and the disgraceful statements that leadership above you has made – you now have a decision. Will you stand with the kids you’re supposed to protect, or will you side with the killers bringing terror to our streets? Mr. Lyons, will you resign from ICE? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: No, sir, I won’t. ERIC SWALWELL: Why not? ACTING DIRECTOR LYONS: Because, sir, that child you’re showing right there – the men and –

RealClearPolitics Videos