PHOENIX — ABC15's Nick Ciletti spoke one-on-one with Arizona Congressman Juan Ciscomani on Friday after he spoke to a group of high school journalism students, attending the Arizona Latino Media Association High School Journalism Workshop in downtown Phoenix, hosted at the ASU Cronkite School.
Nick asked Rep. Ciscomani to give his take on President Donald Trump's decision to replace Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security. A decision Congressman Ciscomani says he and many other Republicans agreed with, saying he did not agree with her approach in "some cases," and in those cases, the outcomes were "very tragic," referring to the shooting deaths of two people in Minnesota who were protesting ICE activity.
"Let me first say that overall, DHS and ICE agents and those in law enforcement have been doing a terrific job going after those that are here committing crimes and being dangerous in our community. However, not everything was done in the best way possible. When those cases and instances were highlighted - because they should have been and because of how they happened - it added a light to some of the fixes that needed to happen. And many of us voiced that for weeks and months and finally got to a boiling point that we got to and the decision was made," he said.
Rep. Ciscomani also applauded the decision for Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin to now head DHS, saying on in a post to X this week, "I know how critical strong leadership at DHS is to our national security. I look forward to working together to keep our border secure and support the men and women on the front lines. A fresh start at DHS comes at an important time."
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Currently, the Department of Homeland Security remains shut down, with Democrats demanding changes to the way ICE agents operate.
In a news conference this week, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the Trump Administration needed to do more than just fire Noem; Democrats want to see systemic changes, like requiring body cameras, warrants issued by judges, and for ICE agents to remove their masks.
"We need a change in policy that has to be bold, dramatic, transformational, and meaningful," said Leader Jeffries.
Tune in Monday to ABC15 Mornings for more of Nick Ciletti's one-on-one interview with District 6 Congressman Juan Ciscomani.
