DHS Interview Released by “60 Minutes”
The Department of Homeland Security has made public the complete interview conducted by “60 Minutes” with DHS general counsel James Percival.
In the segment aired on Sunday, reporter Gianna Toboni focused on the story of an illegal immigrant who faced deportation to Ghana and subsequently found himself in Mali, dealing with the harsh realities of homelessness and fear for his safety.
Percival firmly objected to the framing of illegal immigrants as “law-abiding.” He emphasized, “I do really reject your characterization of someone who is in this country illegally and breaking our laws as quote, unquote, law-abiding.”
While the televised report featured clips where Percival defended the deportation process, the longer version shared on social media later revealed him pushing back against Toboni’s narrative. At one moment, Toboni stated, “That’s why I am going for the clarity here because I hear a lot about the violent offenders, point taken. But what I don’t hear about is the law-abiding folks, who, in our reporting, is more than half.”
Percival challenged her assertion directly: “You’re suggesting that people who are in this country illegally are law-abiding?” to which Toboni responded by mentioning individuals without criminal records beyond immigration violations.
Percival countered with a detailed explanation: “If you are in this country illegally, it is virtually impossible for you to live here without committing further legal violations,” pointing out issues such as unauthorized work and identity theft. He reiterated, “I think that’s fundamentally inaccurate and unfair,” when discussing the term “law-abiding” in this context.
Toboni acknowledged his point with a simple, “OK, fair enough.”
The DHS highlighted this interaction on social media, and it quickly resonated with viewers, generating substantial views.
On Tuesday, Percival noted in a social media post that the “60 Minutes” report had aired a brief segment where he admitted that he wasn’t currently aware of the percentage of deported individuals with criminal histories concerning violent offenses.
In a longer segment, he elaborated on the rationale behind third-country removals, indicating that these instances often relate to countries’ refusal to accept back their nationals, especially those with violent backgrounds. “Number one, when countries refuse to accept their nationals back, they disproportionately do that for violent criminals,” he said.
Percival elaborated further, mentioning how many individuals might be ineligible for asylum due to significant criminal activity, reinforcing that non-enforcement of immigration laws in past administrations contributed to recurring offenses.
On Monday, “60 Minutes” also uploaded the full interview with Percival on YouTube.
