Esra Tekin
21 January 2026•Update: 21 January 2026
ISTANBUL
A former senior US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official on Tuesday criticized the Trump administration’s controversial crackdown on the migrant population.
"This is not working for our communities, it’s not working for our economy, and it’s not working for our national security and public safety,” Jason Houser, ICE chief of staff under former President Joe Biden, told MS NOW’s Nicolle Wallace.
As demonstrations opposing ICE’s aggressive crackdown continue in the state of Minnesota and across the country, lawyers for detainees have accused the Department of Homeland Security of preventing individuals from accessing legal representation.
A recent CBS News/YouGov poll found that 52% of Americans believe ICE is making communities “less safe," indicating public sentiment appears to be shifting as well.
“So Americans are beginning to see, as the polling you showed, we’re less safe,” Houser said.
Houser, who has previously criticized the administration for attempting to “drive a narrative” that migrants seeking legal protection pose a threat to Americans, said he has spoken with “dozens, if not hundreds” of state and local law enforcement officials, as well as former ICE colleagues. According to Houser, none believe the administration’s handling of the agency is advancing public safety.
While acknowledging “systemic failures” spanning multiple administrations, Houser said the Trump administration’s “political opportunism,” use of “quota-arrest targets,” and aggressive enforcement actions in U.S. cities have intensified fear among asylum seekers.
He added that efforts to meet arrest quotas originally pushed by top Trump adviser Stephen Miller have diverted ICE from its traditional priorities, such as combating drug trafficking and human trafficking.
“There’s been a de-prioritization of that,” Houser said.
Other critics say the ICE raids ordered by Trump do not target the criminals, gang members, and “worst of the worst” he promised, but rather hardworking, law-abiding migrants who have been in the US for years or even decades.
