Tensions ran high at a contentious House Judiciary Committee hearing on sanctuary city policies as Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., engaged in a heated shouting match.
Lawler scolded some of his colleagues for their perceived apathy regarding the deaths of two American women allegedly killed by illegal immigrants in separate incidents: Laken Riley and Sheridan Gorman.
However, he noted that some of his colleagues had expressed outrage over the deaths of two anti-ICE agitators, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were shot and killed by federal agents in Minnesota earlier this year while allegedly interfering in law enforcement operations.
"So while some of my colleagues may not want to hear the truth, the same outrage you feel about Renee Good and Alex Pretti, you should feel about Sheridan Gorman and Laken Riley and every Angel family in this country," Lawler said.
Raskin fired back, accusing Lawler of not feeling the outrage over the deaths of the two women allegedly killed by illegal immigrants.
"You do not, because if you did, you would not support sanctuary jurisdictions. You should be ashamed of yourself," Lawler replied.
Raskin has been a strong supporter of sanctuary policies, which shield illegal aliens from federal immigration authorities, even those who have been arrested and convicted of crimes.
He has frequently defended sanctuary policies against federal overreach, emphasizing that compelling local police to enforce federal immigration law is unconstitutional.
Lawler, however, has called for a reevaluation of current tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents in American communities.
He has written about the need for change, citing the tragic and preventable deaths of Good and Pretti in a recent op-ed piece.
