The Pennsylvania Democratic candidate pauses when asked who will replace ICE
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Pennsylvania Democratic congressional candidate Dr. Ala Stanford paused during a television interview when asked who should enforce US immigration laws if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were abolished.
Stanford made the comments in a Friday interview with NBC Philadelphia reporter Lauren Mayk while discussing her campaign for Pennsylvania’s 3rd District.
As Mike pressed Stanford to identify who would take responsibility for immigration enforcement, the candidate paused to collect his thoughts before answering.
“That’s a good question, and you can pause because I want to think about it for a minute,” Stanford said.
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Ala Stanford said ICE cannot be reformed and said the agency will need to be dismantled and rebuilt. (Getty Images)
After Mayk said they “need to get on” with the interview and didn’t have time to pause, Stanford failed to name a government agency or legislative body that would replace ICE but said authority should move from the White House.
“Not the top branch,” Stanford said. “So, not the president. So, it’s up to congress.”
He then expanded his criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, accusing it and President Donald Trump of serving political reasons instead of public safety.
“He belongs to Congress because the executive branch, especially the president, is self-centered and most of the decisions he makes are not about the American people, they are not about our security,” said Stanford.
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Dr. Ala Stanford, who is running for Congress in Pennsylvania, compared ICE to the military and said its current approach has cost lives. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Mike followed up by commenting that immigration and border enforcement would still exist even if ICE were disbanded, and asked again who would handle those responsibilities on the ground.
“But who should be legal?” Mike asked. “I mean, there are immigration laws all over the country and the border. If it’s not ICE, if you eliminate ICE, who is in charge?”
Stanford said any new system would need to be built after ICE is dismantled.
“So you can’t – when you’re done, you have to rebuild,” he said. “We’re at a point where you can’t fix something that’s a military organization that takes a person’s life.”
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Stanford said that even the name ICE was “too bad” to use going forward as he was pressed on what should happen to the agency if it was abolished. (Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Stanford also suggested that the ICE name itself carries too much negative baggage to survive any restructuring.
“I mean, I’m not even going to use that. I think the definition of that word is so bad right now that you’re going to need a new word,” he said.
Stanford said the United States should integrate border security and humanitarian aid.
“People who come to this country add value and diversity and help build the United States,” he said. “When they flee to come to the United States, it should be a sanctuary, not a living hell.”
Stanford said he would rely on experts to decide how the replacement plan should work.
“I can put subject experts around me who have extensive experience in this space to say how we can not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.
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Stanford is running for Pennsylvania’s 3rd District, which is Democratic and is based in Philadelphia. (Getty Images)
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Stanford is running for the Philadelphia-based seat being vacated by Rep. Dwight Evans. Because the district is heavily favored by Democrats, the primary race is expected to determine the next member of Congress.
