GOP Senator Asks Bondi If Immigration Enforcement Is Being Prioritized Over Combating Violent Crime

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At a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) questioned AG Pam Bondi about immigration enforcement.

Transcript

00:01Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:02Attorney General Bondi, welcome.

00:04Welcome to the committee.

00:05Good to see you.

00:07When we visited prior to your confirmation, we had, I think, a really good discussion

00:12about some of the statistics that, unfortunately, we have held the number one place for far

00:20too long in areas that we really don't like in terms of the increased number of deaths

00:26due to fentanyl between 22 and 23, an increase by over 40% when other states around the country

00:38were seeing that go down.

00:39We're doing a little bit better, not enough, because one death due to fentanyl is one death

00:46too many, as we would all agree.

00:48But also when it comes to violent crime, it's stunning for many people to hear a senator

00:55like me say that Alaska's violent crime rate was more than 540% of the national average

01:04in 2023.

01:05It's like stunning, just stunning, right?

01:07And so I think we had good conversation about that, what you could do in your position to

01:16help prioritize combating violent crime.

01:19I'm going to channel a little bit of Alaskans' conversations.

01:26We don't have much of an ICE presence in Alaska.

01:29We just haven't.

01:29We had two Russians seeking asylum a couple years ago when the war in Ukraine broke out.

01:38ICE didn't know what to do with them because we just didn't have a presence here.

01:42And all of a sudden, we're now on the map.

01:44We have those that are being detained in our local jail that were flown up to the state

01:54several weeks ago to be detained up there.

01:57So there's a lot of chatter about what is going on.

02:01And what I'm hearing, the fear that I am hearing, and I'd like you to just put to rest some of

02:07the concerns that Alaskans are having, they're worried that immigration enforcement is being

02:14prioritized over combating violent crime.

02:19And they're worried as they're seeing FBI and DEA coming in, assisting ICE in immigration

02:27enforcement.

02:27Again, many of the stories that we're hearing, it's not necessarily criminals that have, they

02:37are making the news.

02:38It's one individual who has been a restaurant owner down in Soldotna for the past 20 years.

02:44And, you know, his children are all integrated into the community.

02:48You've heard these stories many, many, many times.

02:50So I need to know, for Alaskans' sake, the response as to whether or not immigration enforcement

02:58is being prioritized over combating violent crime and whether increased resources, whether

03:03it's staff or funding, are being sent to the state to help us cover the added workload.

03:10So that's my question.

03:11You've got a runway of about two minutes here to help me out.

03:14Thank you, Senator.

03:15Senator, I learned more about Alaska from you in our meeting prior to my confirmation hearing

03:20than I ever knew.

03:22And we have talked about it.

03:23And you're still invited to come up and see for yourself.

03:26We have a trip planned, and we have some information for you on that trip.

03:31And that also, we wanted to talk about the missing and murdered indigenous people and the

03:37tribal resource response plans.

03:39We wanted to visit some of those areas in a different setting.

03:44We can give you more details on that.

03:46But we have two dates or three we'd like to run by you if that works.

03:50And two locations we'd like to go to.

03:53But yes, we've added two FBI agents in Alaska.

03:57We're adding more.

03:58Director Patel and I have talked about Alaska at great length.

04:02He met with you about Alaska as well.

04:04And what we can do, I'm going to try to talk fast.

04:06We have criminally charged 39 defendants over the last four months under Operation Take Back

04:16America nationwide, though, to eliminate the cartels and transnational gangs.

04:22And the District of Alaska, excuse me, has already, we have charged 39, I don't know if you knew

04:30that, 39 criminal defendants just in Alaska under Take Back America, more throughout the

04:36country.

04:37But we're going to continue to fight.

04:39Your demographic is so unusual and the hours of darkness and the temperatures and your lack

04:45of resources and your tribal population that we are working.

04:49Oh, I have also spoken to our new Gaddy Seralta, who will be our new U.S.

04:54Marshal, about getting you additional resources in Alaska.

04:58I've spoken to Gaddy at length about that as well.

05:01And as soon as he is in place in office, we want to sit down and meet with you about that.

05:06Well, I appreciate all that.

05:08And I'm looking forward to the opportunity for you to come to the state.

05:11So I am hearing you saying that you are committing more resources to this effort, which we're

05:19very thankful for.

05:20And as you have heard very clearly, we desperately needed, given the statistics as they relate

05:26to violent crime and, of course, fentanyl.

05:30And so the specific ask is whether or not immigration enforcement is being prioritized over combating

05:40violent crime.

05:41And I just want to know that we're not taking the eye off the ball there.

05:46And, Senator, before you walked in, I think senators on both sides of the aisle shared that

05:50same concern.

05:51And it is not and it will not.

05:53A lot of it does go hand in hand, though, getting the illegal aliens who are violent criminals

05:58out of our country.

05:59But it will not.

06:00And I believe we've also seized 4.5, I think this is right, kilos of fentanyl since January

06:07in Alaska.

06:08But we will not forget about Alaska.

06:10We will prioritize Alaska and do everything we can to increase resources to help you and

06:16the citizens of your state.

06:17Very good.

06:18And thank you.

06:18And I will be following up with a phone call regarding ANOFA for the delay in the release

06:25of some OVC tribal set-asides.

06:27So you've given us all encouragement to give you a call and know that we'll be doing that

06:30with regards to Mountain Village.

06:33Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:34Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:35Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:36Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:37Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:38Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:39Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:40Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:41Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:42Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

06:43Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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