Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly delicately recommends critics of immigration enforcement 'shut up'

John Kelly.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly told anyone who dislikes the way his department is handling immigration to change the law themselves or "shut up," Politico reports.

Under President Trump, arrests of immigrants with clean police records who are living in the United States illegally have more than doubled. The DHS has even floated mobilizing up to 100,000 National Guard troops in an effort to capture unauthorized immigrants. Kelly's harsh remarks were made at George Washington University, where Kelly expressed frustration that "if lawmakers do not like the laws that we enforce, that we are charged to enforce, that we are sworn to enforce, then they should have the courage and the skill to change those laws."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.