Kevin McAleenan, acting Homeland Security secretary, recently walked off stage at an immigration conference at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he was scheduled to speak and then do an audience Q&A. The conference is an annual event organized by the Migrant Policy Institute, which is a nonprofit immigration think tank. Mostly attorneys and advocates attend.
Why the stomp off? Immigration advocates protested his speaking time by shouting the names of children who died at the border, as well as phrases like “when immigrants are under attack, we fight back” when McAleenan was about to speak. Some protesters held banners, including one which read “Hate is Not Normal.”
McAleenan tried to start three times before thanking the host, shrugging, and walking off.
The clip is now going viral on Twitter:
Given that ICE is the most unpopular federal agency in the public’s eye, as reported by a new Pew research survey, is anyone surprised? Really: How can he be surprised?
Here’s the full video on YouTube:
Update: According to a press release, protesters came from activist groups including CREDO Action, Justice for Muslims Collective, La ColectiVA, National Immigrant Justice Center, and Sanctuary DMV.
"Under McAleenan, CBP and ICE have carried out atrocity after atrocity, from criminal neglect of people in their custody to family separation to outright murder," said Brandon Wu, a Sanctuary DMV organizer, per the press release. "Anyone overseeing an agency committing crimes against humanity has no welcome in our community."
Protests also took place outside of the event.