Whoopi Goldberg walks back claim that ICE employs 'violent criminals'
"The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg walked back comments Monday suggesting ICE agents were "violent criminals," clarifying that she was concerned about accountability at the federal law enforcement agency.
"The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg walked back comments Monday suggesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were "violent criminals," clarifying that she was concerned about accountability at the federal law enforcement agency.
"Nobody wants this. This is not what you said they were going to be — this is the thing, you said you were going after the bad guys," Goldberg said during the first segment of the daytime talk show, appearing to address President Donald Trump rhetorically. "That’s what you said, the violent criminals. And what does it turn out? The violent criminals seem to be in the agency."
However, following a commercial break, she walked back her comments and clarified her previous statement by saying she was not accusing ICE agents of being criminals.
"Before folks gather around and say, ‘Oh! She’s accusing all of the folks at ICE of being criminals!’ That is not what I’m doing," Goldberg said. "And just so I’m clear, it feels sometimes that there is no one watching the hen house. OK? So before y’all start blowing it into all kinds of other stuff, just know that it’s nuanced speaking."
Whoopi Goldberg attempted to get ahead of her critics, claiming they would interpret her earlier comments about ICE having "violent criminals" in bad faith. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images for The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation)
"I think you meant the lack of accountability, because you’ve had nine shootings by ICE agents against various people," co-host Sunny Hostin suggested. "We haven’t heard much reporting on it, and no one has been held accountable, and we don’t know the status of the investigation. So that does feel like there is a lack of accountability and transparency."
"You are very kind, and I appreciate that," Goldberg replied.
Renee Nicole Good, a mother of three, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis on Wednesday after allegedly swerving her car toward him. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described the agent opening fire as an act of "self-defense."
Since her death, protests have erupted across the country, leading to further confrontations between protesters and law enforcement.
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"Abolish ICE" has been a popular slogan among progressive activists. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)
"You see ‘Abolish ICE’ now," Hostin said prior to Goldberg's comments. "That was a lefty thing before. Everyone was saying, ‘Abolish ICE, you should never say that, you should never say that.’"
"I think people — red states, blue states — these are the United States of America and people don’t want to see murder — killing in the streets," Hostin added.
Co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin argued that while some may support ICE's role in law enforcement, "Nobody signed up for this. Nobody said this is what we wanted."
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Sunny Hostin offered a charitable interpretation of co-host Whoopi Goldberg's statement, which Goldberg appeared to greatly appreciate. (Gary Gershoff/Getty Images)
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ICE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Fox News' Julia Bonavita and Alexis McAdams contributed to this report.
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