MARK MORGAN (ACTING ICE DIRECTOR): The president has been very clear on this is that he wants to maintain the integrity in the system, make sure that we enforce the rule of law, and address this crisis that we have on the southwest border. So one of the things that we're doing is we're making sure that we're looking at this from a simplistic viewpoint. If you are here illegally in violation of federal immigration law, if you've received due process, there should be consequences, including families. So what we're going to do is we're going to make sure that we apply the law and we enforce the law across the board. We're not going to exempt a certain demographic. We need to make sure that everybody that has been here in violation of the law has consequences.
STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): OK. And, you know, Mark, we've heard the number. There are at least 12 million people in the country illegally, but I think the caveat that I heard in your answer was people who have had the due process. So in other words, you are -- starting next week -- they're going to go after the people who are in the country illegally and who have had an order of deportation against them, right?
MORGAN: So, I'm not going to tell you specifically when we're going to do it and how we're going to do it.
DOOCY: Well, generally.
MORGAN: Generally, that's correct. We have a demographic that has had an enormous amount of due process. They've had access to attorneys, they've had access to interpreters, they've received a final order of removal from a judge. We've even sent them letters saying you've received an order, come to ICE, we'll work with you, we'll give you 30 days to get your affairs in order, and we'll help you return you to your country. Those have been ignored. Those people in those categories -- over 90% -- haven't showed up and they've ignored the order. What I'm trying to tell them Steve, real quickly, is look, as ICE, I don't want to come to your door. I don't want to come to your home. I don't want to come to your workplace. What I'm asking these individuals that have these final orders: Come to ICE. Work with us in a humane, dignified manner to return you to your country of origin as it's been ordered. That's what I hope we can do here.
DOOCY: Yeah, but do you really think they're going to do that?
MORGAN: So history has shown they have not. But that's why we're out here trying to communicate. You know, the ICE gets vilified every single day for doing our job, and what we're trying to do is say, look, we don't want to come into your neighborhoods. Come to us, work with us, and we'll do this in a humane way to make sure we restore the rule of law.
