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The Situation Room

Immigration Officials Testify as DHS Deadline Approaches; Acting ICE Director Comments on Minnesota Operation; Acting ICE Director: 3,000 Plus Agents in Field Now, Have Body Cameras. Aired 10:30-11a ET

Aired February 10, 2026 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[10:30:00]

PAMELA BROWN, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, immigration officials are expected to speak in a highly anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill. Let's listen in to Commissioner Scott who runs the Customs and Border Protection.

RODNEY SCOTT, COMMISSIONER, U.S. CUSTOMER AND BORDER PROTECTION: Facilities and a workforce that was stretched so far beyond their capabilities that hostile nations and the cartels exploited our border at will. That all changed on January 20, 2025 under the leadership of President Trump. We have now implemented effective policies, established unified priorities and objectives across all federal departments and empowered our workforce to do their jobs by simply enforcing the laws that already exist. We have imposed consequences for those who break our laws, the laws that this body enacted.

And today, the United States, because of these efforts, enjoys the most secure border in our nation's history. But this progress did not happen by accident. It's a result of a comprehensive approach to border security. We ended catch-and-release, we prioritized detention and removal authorities, and we sent a clear message that illegal entry into the United States will not be tolerated. And the numbers speak for themselves. We have achieved record low illegal crossings between ports of entry.

Border Patrol apprehensions along the southwest border totaled over 90,000 for the entire year. That's a number that used to represent a single month under the Biden administration. Daily encounters have dropped by 95 percent, averaging about 250 per day, compared to 5,000 a day during the Biden administration. Our increased enforcement also resulted in the seizure of over 617,000 pounds of illicit narcotics. That's nationwide an 8 percent increase over the prior year. This included nearly 11,000 pounds of fentanyl and more than 186,000 pounds of methamphetamines.

This is what having a secure border looks like. None of this would have been possible, though, without the vision and leadership of President Trump and the historic investments made in border security. The one big beautiful bill, a $65 billion investment, is enabling CBP to modernize border infrastructure, deploy additional advanced technology, and to grow our workforce. Since January 2025, CBP is building smart wall at record levels. We're installing high-tech attributes where the Biden administration had shut it off. We're installing water barriers along the Rio Grande River, which denies criminals access to these routes.

But that is not all. We're investing in technology at our ports of entry, non-intrusive inspection equipment, biometrics, and advanced surveillance to improve our ability to know what's coming into this country, the land, air, and sea, at and between the ports of entry.

CBP's workforce is without a doubt the greatest asset that we have. The one big beautiful bill is investing historic amounts of money in recruitment, hiring, and retention and training to ensure that we have the most highly qualified and capable law enforcement professionals secure in our border. Due to the collaboration across all federal departments, the resultant record low encounters, CBP has been able to surge resources to support ICE's targeted enforcement operations across the nation. CBP has integrated with ICE and other partners to identify and remove dangerous criminals and others who remain in the country illegally.

As recent events have demonstrated, though, our officers and agents are increasingly facing an unprecedented level of aggressive interference and intimidation when executing the laws that you have asked them to enforce. These attacks on federal law enforcement personnel are coordinated and well-funded.

[10:35:00]

This is not peaceful protest. No law enforcement officer should be put at personal risk simply for doing the job that we have asked them to do. I thank you for your continued support of CBP's mission and I look forward to answering your questions today.

ANDREW GARBARINO (R-NY): Thank you, Commissioner. I now recognize Director Edlow for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.

JOSEPH EDLOW, DIRECTOR, U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Chairman Garbarino, Ranking Member Thompson, and members of the committee, it is an honor to speak to you about the priorities and progress of U.S. citizenship and immigration services. I'm grateful for your partnership as we work together to uphold the rule of law, protect our citizens, and safeguard our homeland.

Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to President Trump for his trust in me and to Secretary Noem for her leadership at the Department of Homeland Security. I'm proud to serve alongside a workforce that's deeply committed to advancing the President's agenda, protecting our communities, and restoring integrity to America's legal immigration system.

As director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, my vision has been straightforward and clear. Restore accountability to our immigration system and ensure that it serves the interests of the American people first and foremost. Today, I want to highlight some of our most significant accomplishments, ending the exploitation of immigration programs, putting American workers first, protecting our communities from public safety threats, protecting national security, and combating immigration fraud.

Fraud isn't just a paperwork issue. It's a national security and public safety concern. Often those who wish to do us harm exploit weaknesses in our system. Over the past year, USCIS has made nearly 33,000 fraud referrals to law enforcement, a 138 percent increase over previous years. We conducted thousands of site visits to homes and workplaces and thousands of social media checks to ensure aliens aren't espousing anti-American sentiments. Moreover, our fraud detection and national security team completed over 21,000 investigations identifying fraud in approximately 65 percent of those cases.

In Operation Twin Shield in Minneapolis-St. Paul back in the fall, we uncovered marriage fraud, visa misuse, and student visa abuses, leading to denials of immigration benefits, arrests, and removal proceedings. This work led to Operation Paris, where we continue re- examining thousands of refugee cases in Minnesota, conducting thorough background checks and in-person reviews.

We've also strengthened our vetting policies. If someone falsely claims U.S. citizenship to get a public benefit or try to vote, we hold them accountable through denial of citizenship or loss of immigration status. We've tightened screening to determine whether claimed marriages and family relationships are legitimate. And we've changed regulations to employ authorization to -- excuse me, to employment authorization is no longer automatically extended. Now, we require more frequent renewals so that we can vet aliens more frequently and ensure that they deserve to remain in the country.

Additionally, we've taken action to end the exploitation of immigration programs. Mass humanitarian parole programs were being abused by the prior administration. So, we've restored them to Congress's original intent, allowing those benefits on a case-by-case basis. Secretary Noem also ended decades of temporary protected status for several countries, returning the program to what Congress intended, temporary protection, not permanent status in the United States.

Moreover, this administration is doing more to ensure the integrity of our elections. We enhanced the SAVE program so states can verify citizenship of those on their voter rolls more effectively. Since January 2025, we've processed over 58 million queries and 27 states are participating.

Additionally, federal agencies ran nearly 206 million SAVE queries last year to identify fraud and preserve public assistance benefits for lawful U.S. residents and citizens. We're also putting American taxpayers and communities and workers first. We affirmed that aliens should be self-reliant, not dependent on public assistance, and that their sponsors are liable for the cost of public benefits that they access. The Department of Homeland Security is also working to rescind the 2022 public charge rule, restoring our discretion to determine if an alien will rely on government assistance. We've proposed protecting American jobs by prioritizing H-1B visas for higher-skilled, higher- paid workers so that companies can't use those visas merely as a way to get cheaper non-citizen labor. We've also streamlined agricultural visa processing to better support American farmers.

A major milestone was implementing the One Big Beautiful Bill, which added new fees for certain immigration processes. USCIS collects those fees, but only retains a small amount of the money, while the rest goes to other agencies and deficit reduction.

[10:40:00]

Finally, protecting the American people is at the heart of everything we do. After the attack on two brave service members of the National Guard last November, Secretary Noem directed us to review immigration benefits for aliens from high-risk countries.

In closing, U.S. citizenship and immigration services is restoring integrity, accountability, and security to America's legal immigration system. These accomplishments reflect the dedication of our workforce and the transformative leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, both of whom have allowed USCIS to do the job it was created by Congress to do. We stand ready to continue working with Congress to protect the homeland and uphold the rule of law. Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.

GARBARINO: Thank you, Director Edlow. I now recognize Acting Director Lyons for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.

TODD LYONS, ACTING DIRECTOR, ICE: Good morning. Chairman Garbarino, Rank Member Thompson, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the invitation to discuss the critical work U.S. Immigration and Customs is doing every day to carry out President Trump's agenda to keep America safe, restore order to our communities, and return the rule of law to this country. Under the leadership of President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the men and women of ICE have been empowered to do exactly what they are trained to do, arrest and remove illegal aliens and criminals from our communities.

We are enhancing public safety, securing our national security, and finally restoring integrity to the immigration system that had been allowed to collapse. We have supercharged our partnerships with state and local law enforcement, empowering offices around the country through the 287G program to help ICE identify and remove criminal aliens. Those partnerships have increased more than 900 percent since President Trump took office, and our communities are safer for it.

I am also proud of our agency's unprecedented hiring campaign that led to hiring of more than 12,000 officers and special agents in less than a year, and more than 222,000 individuals submitted applications. This expansion of a well-trained and well-vetted workforce will help further ICE's abilities to execute president's and secretary's bold agenda. Before discussing our broader operations, I must address the situation in Minnesota and the dangers that ICE agents and officers face nationwide. While the investigations remain ongoing, I am encouraged that some Minnesota officials are finally signaling the willingness to cooperate with ICE. But let me be clear, promises are not enough. We need action.

In the wake of the unprecedented border crisis of the previous administration, ICE has stepped into the breach to enforce the law. This commitment has a cost. We are facing the deadliest operating environment in our agency's history.

In fiscal year 2025, death threats against ICE personnel increased more than 8,000 percent. Assaults on officers have skyrocketed over 1,400 percent. One officer in Minnesota had his finger bitten off by a protester, egged on by elected officials characterizing our offices as the Gestapo of secret police.

The families of ICE personnel have been made to feel unsafe in their homes. I know this firsthand because my own family was targeted. But let me send a message to anyone who thinks they can intimidate us. You will fail. Despite these perils, our offices continue to execute their mission with unwavering resolve. And we are only getting started.

ICE remains committed to the fundamental principles that those who illegally enter our country must be held accountable. Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, we have achieved historic results. From January 20, 2025, through January 20, 2026, ICE has conducted nearly 379,000 arrests. Among those arrests were more than 7,000 suspected gang members and over 1,400 known and suspected terrorists.

The president tasked us with mass deportation, and we are fulfilling that mandate. Thanks to the resources provided by this Congress, we are ramping up detention capabilities and removal flights daily. In the last year alone, we conducted over 475,000 removals. It's a brutal reality that criminal immigration today is organized by sophisticated, ruthless transnational criminal organizations. These include cartels and transnational gangs President Trump has rightly designated as foreign terrorist organizations.

The only way to defeat them is to destroy their revenue. Within Homeland Security investigations, our special agents are delivering critical outcomes in the fight against transnational crime. We are seizing fentanyl before it kills our children and dismantling the networks that poison our communities. In FY25 alone, we seized more than 2.5 million pounds of narcotics, a 50 percent increase from the previous year, and a critical blow to transnational organization groups everywhere. HSI criminal arrests are at the highest point in history.

However, our approach is just not about enforcement. It is about restoring order and dignity to the human beings sold alive by smugglers and exploited by these TCOs.

[10:45:00] In August 2024, the DHS Office of Inspector General released a report that concluded that more than 291,000 unaccompanied alien children out of nearly 450,000 transferred from DHS to HHS custody were simply lost by the system. We are talking about children exploited in factories, abused in sexual trades, and living as indentured servants on American soil.

HSI is leading the charge to find them. We have conducted more than 71,000 field engagements to locate children, verify sponsor legitimacy, and uncover criminal activity related to exploitation. Since February 2025, ICE has arrested more than 500 criminal sponsors of these offenses, including sexual exploitation and forced labor, dismantled more than 2,400 human smuggling operations, and along with our federal partners, located more than 145,000 children.

To further ensure TCOs can never threat our nation again, President Trump dedicated the establishment of the Homeland Security Task Force. The Homeland Security Task Forces represent the most aggressive and coordinated attack on TCOs in history. Through Cross-Border Financial Crime Center, we have developed and inflated a strategy to combat rampant fraud, including government programs in Minnesota and across the country.

Using this strategy, HSI has opened numerous criminal investigations into the complex fraud systems that have resulted in the thefts of billions. Much of the fight ICE faces continue to be fueled by so- called sanctuary cities. These jurisdictions provided a shield for criminal aliens when a local jail refuses to honor ICE attainer and releases that predator back into the community.

ICE exists to enforce America's longstanding immigration and custom laws. These laws are grounded in common sense, national sovereignty, and simple morality. Our officers and agents enforce these without hesitation, without apology.

I ask that all the members of the community treat them with profound respect that they have earned. Thank you.

GARBARINO: Thank you, Acting Director Lyons. Members will be recognized by order of seniority for their five minutes of questioning. As we have the --

BROWN: All right. We've been listening to top immigration officials in the Trump administration. They're testifying amid backlash over enforcement tactics and, of course, the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents. We have an all-star group of reporters and analysts here to discuss all of this. Seeing an anchor and chief domestic correspondent, Phil Mattingly, former acting ICE director under President Bush and Obama, John Torres, and CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig. Elie, to you first. Where do you expect questioning will go in this hearing?

ELIE HONIG, CNN SENIOR LEGAL ANALYST AND FORMER ASSISTANT U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NY: Well, Pam, I listened to the opening statement of Representative Benny Thompson, who's the ranking Democrat on the committee before these, and it seems there's going to be three primary areas of focus. First of all, as you said, the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

There will be questions about that investigation. Is there indeed an investigation? How is it proceeding? And is there a criminal element to that investigation? Then there will be questioning about street- level enforcement tactics. Why are they wearing masks? There's a new body camera program that's out there. The use of administrative warrants, which are not signed by a judge, to conduct certain actions.

And then finally, there's going to be questions about the fact that ICE has repeatedly defied court orders. We've had dozens of judges who have ordered bail hearings, who have ordered people to be released. And ICE simply has not been able to comply with those. Representative Thompson voiced some real concern over that. So, I'd look for questioning on those three main areas.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Let me bring Phil Mattingly into this conversation. You cover the administration. You know the inner workings of Congress at the same time. So, what is standing out, at least so far, these opening statements? Where does this border immigration debate go from here?

PHI MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR AND CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: I think what's most notable is something that I've been hearing over the course of the last couple of weeks, as the administration has made very concerted efforts to turn the temperature down, to recognize that they had a very real political problem after the shooting of Alex Pretti.

One thing that's been repeatedly made clear is they're not changing the underlying agenda. They're not changing their underlying enforcement operations and the intent to have a mass deportation operation. And what we just heard from Todd Lyons really kind of underscores this point. While there may be a rhetorical shift and they may have been willing to have negotiations over DHS funding on the Hill, which is obviously the backdrop of everything that's going on, Lyons is making very clear that his team at ICE has unwavering resolve. We are just getting started, he said in his opening statement.

So, the idea that there was going to be some type of pullback or effort to kind of almost be a little bit more pragmatic about how they operate, given the Democratic objections, they're making very clear from the start, Wolf, that that's just not going to be the case.

BLITZER: And he said that those people who don't like ICE, the organization he heads, he said they can intimidate us, but you will fail, his words. You will fail if you try to do that.

[10:50:00]

MATTINGLY: Yes, there's a level of defiance to the statement, which is, I think, always been the underlying case. When you talk to administration officials throughout the course of the last couple of weeks, I think there is a view inside the administration that for all of the ways they were on their back feet, of their own doing, by the way, they handled the most recent shooting in Minnesota, the kind of passage of time has allowed them to take a position or plan to have a posture during this hearing with their officials. That is a combination of defiance and making very clear that this was what the president was ran on, what he was elected for, and what they plan on continuing in the months ahead.

BLITZER: You know, and it was very important, one quick point. He said that they're beginning to get some indications that officials, local, state, and local and state officials in Minneapolis and Minnesota, they're beginning to cooperate a bit with ICE. He said, but promises are not enough. We need action.

MATTINGLY: It's interesting to hear it from the administration side. We've heard the same thing from Minnesota officials. Jacob Frey, the mayor, the governor, Tim Walz as well, saying that when Tom Homan moved to remove 700 law enforcement officials, leaving about 2,000 there, that was kind of a sign of good faith that there had been communication ongoing and a good level of communication about policy issues. Now, you're seeing it from the ICE side as well. So, an agreement or acknowledgement that that has happened, but still not all the way there yet.

BLITZER: Questions are continuing for these immigration officials. Let's go back to the hearing.

SCOTT: -- protest-type encounters as well.

GARBARINO: So, there's been no change in the timeline either, similar to ICE did that, you did not?

SCOTT: No, we did not.

GARBARINO: OK. And while this is nothing, well, because this is my last question, I'm sure. While understanding there are not suitable fabrications every occasion, there's been a lot of talk about the use of deadly force. Are agents and officers equipped with and trained in the use of tasers or other less lethal alternatives to avoid the use of deadly force? And Mr. -- Director Lyons, I'll start with you, and then Mr. Scott, you can finish.

LYONS: Yes, sir. Every deportation officer special agent are trained in secondary weapons, which include the taser, OC spray, and baton.

GARBARINO: They're trained --

LYONS: And those are made available?

GARBARINO: And they're equipped?

LYONS: Yes, sir.

GARBARINO: Mr. Scott?

SCOTT: Similar answer that all of our agents have to carry a secondary weapon. They're trained at the academy, and then they go through quarterly refresher training every three months. GARBARINO: OK. I appreciate it. I will have, I'm sure, some follow-up questions today, and I will submit those to you in writing. But with that, I yield back, and I now recognize the Ranking Member for five minutes of questions.

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D-MS), RANKING MEMBER, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Lyons, how many ICE agents have cameras as of today?

LYONS: Sir, as of today, more than 3,000 ICE officers have cameras that are active in the field, with another 6,000 being deployed, sir.

THOMPSON: So, how many in the field? How many ICE agents are in the field as of today?

LYONS: Oh, I'm sorry, sir. Agents in the field today?

THOMPSON: You said agents in the field. I'm just trying to get the number of ICE agents who have cameras on their body as of today.

LYONS: Approximately 3,000, sir.

THOMPSON: 3,000 out of how many?

LYONS: Out of 13 -- approximately 13,000, sir, that are in the field.

THOMPSON: So, you have 3,000 out of 13,000 who have cameras?

LYONS: Yes, sir.

THOMPSON: Mr. Scott?

SCOTT: I don't have the actual number in front of me right now. It's about 10,000. We're building that program out as we speak.

THOMPSON: 10,000 out of how many?

SCOTT: Out of about 67,000. But there's the ports of entry. We have significant video.

THOMPSON: No, no, no. I don't want to go to ports of entry. I just want to know how many cameras right now do you have on your agents?

SCOTT: When you say agents, Border Patrol agents, there's about 10,000.

THOMPSON: 10,000 out of how many?

SCOTT: Out of 20,000 Border Patrol agents.

THOMPSON: So, half of them?

SCOTT: Approximately, yes.

THOMPSON: So, I'll give you a chance to look at that since you said approximately and get back to the committee on what's the accurate number. Not how many you're purchasing, how many as of this day?

SCOTT: Understood, and will get you that number.

THOMPSON: Thank you. Mr. Lyons, what's the regular timetable of training an ICE agent?

LYONS: Sorry about that, sir. Right now, the training is approximately 47 days at the Federal Law Enforcement Academy. Overall training is about three months, sir.

THOMPSON: So, you went from three months to 47 days?

LYONS: No, no, sir. The whole total training to include the pre- employment training and then the OJT program is three months and 47 days in the law enforcement -- Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy.

THOMPSON: So, they go to flexi for 47 days or for three months?

LYONS: No, sir. You asked for the total training time. The total training time now is a combined three months, sir, with 47 days at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Academy.

[10:55:00]

THOMPSON: So, you didn't reduce the timeline for any ICE agents to come on board?

LYONS: We reduced the timeline for the previous certified federal law enforcement officers or special agents, where we went to the ones who are already trained in firearms and defensive tactics and criminal procedure. We adapted to a shorter program so they would just have the extensive Immigration Nationality Act training, immigration law, and ICE-specific training.

THOMPSON: So, if you hired somebody for ICE today, how much training would they receive before they become a full-time agent?

LYONS: So, for a person off the street who has never been a law enforcement officer, they're looking at approximately three months of training, sir.

THOMPSON: And the 47 days is for who?

LYONS: That is for everyone hasn't -- who's never worked for ICE, sir. So, you could have someone that's a Capitol Police officer, they would not have to go through extended training for -- when it comes to defensive tactics, firearms, et cetera. They would have to go through the rigorous immigration training, which unfortunately immigration law is just as confusing and long as tax code, which we have to ensure that we devote that extensive time to.

THOMPSON: Thank you so much.

LYONS: Yes, sir.

THOMPSON: But would you provide the committee with the timeline?

LYONS: Yes, sir. We will provide you --

THOMPSON: What some of us understand it's 47 days.

LYONS: Yes, sir. We will provide you --

THOMPSON: But you're telling us it's three months.

LYONS: From the beginning, sir, when they go ahead and come on pre- employment training to the OJT program afterwards. But we will provide the committee with the full breakdown.

THOMPSON: OK. For Mr. Lyons and Mr. Scott, over the past several weeks, the president has made a series of comments regarding the midterm election. The president has urged my Republican colleagues in Congress to nationalize elections. Now, are you involved in any planning on guarding precincts in this country as of today? Mr. Scott?

SCOTT: No, sir.

THOMPSON: Mr. Lyons?

LYONS: No, sir.

THOMPSON: So, there's no information? You've not been asked to start deploying people for areas anywhere?

LYONS: No, sir.

THOMPSON: Well, thank you very much. Mr. Lyons -- I'll get it in writing, Mr. Chairman. I'm going to follow your directions on that.

GARBARINO: Gentleman yields back. Thank you, Ranking Member. I now recognize the gentleman from Texas, Mr. McCaul, for five minutes of questions.

REP. MICHAEL MCCAUL (R-TX), CHAIR EMERITUS, VICE CHAIRMAN, HOMELAND SECURITY COMMITTEE: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. You know, a decade ago, when I chaired this committee, Mr. Thompson and I passed a bill to authorize ICE into law. It was a bipartisan effort. It passed the House overwhelmingly, both Republican and Democrat. A decade later, here we are. The Dems have called to abolish ICE. Now, they're trying to shut it down. So, what has happened in that 10 years?

Let's go back to the last five -- four to five years, what happened in this country and at the border. As someone who lives in a border State of Texas, we saw the most dangerous, wide open border that I've seen in my 22 years in Congress. 10 to 12 million people, and that's what we know about, I think it's far greater, came into this country, many of them dangerous, violent criminals, some known or suspected terrorists, which I find extremely dangerous.

That's why I served as an impeachment manager for Mayorkas, because he violated federal law. The federal statute says, as a former federal prosecutor, I know this, shall detain aggravated felons. What did Mayorkas do? He told his agents, that's discretionary. You can release them. As a result, we had tens of thousands of aggravated felons left on the streets of America to roam freely, not to mention the human and sex trafficking of children, Mr. Lyons, as you pointed out.

So, what is the administration trying to do? They're trying to remove a public safety threat from the United States of America. That is their job. Restoring public safety should be the number one priority. And one of the problems here, as I examine it, is that Minnesota, Minneapolis in particular, is a sanctuary city. What does that mean? That means that it's a magnet for illegal. They're protected under the current situation because state and locals will not cooperate with federal law enforcement.

In fact, Mr. Lyons, is it not true that they were not honoring ICE --

[11:00:00]