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Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson was front and center in the national debate over illegal immigration reform on Tuesday, joining officials from law enforcement and government in a meeting with President Donald Trump.
“The president is fully focused on illegal immigration reform,” Sheriff Hodgson said after the meeting in the Roosevelt Room in the West Wing of the White House. “Congress needs to secure the border, give law enforcement and justice the tools to protect our citizens and legal residents and pass comprehensive illegal immigration reform to make our communities a safer place to live, work and raise a family.”
Sheriff Hodgson was one of three Sheriffs in the roundtable meeting, joining others from Maryland and Virginia. Also in the meeting were representatives from the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, several members of Congress and other White House officials. They discussed the MS-13 gang, border security and legislative matters on Capitol Hill.
“We need these immigration laws changed,” President Trump said to the group. “We have people coming into this country illegally and we can’t get them out. It’s ridiculous. We have to strengthen our laws. … The world is laughing at us.”
Following the meeting, Sheriff Hodgson had the chance to chat with Kirstjen Nielsen, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions about some ideas on combatting illegal immigration, eliminating Sanctuary communities and keeping Americans as safe as possible.
“Everyone’s on the same page in the White House when it comes to illegal immigration,” Sheriff Hodgson said. “The time is now for Congress to act. For years, illegal immigration has been used as a political football on both sides of the aisle. The time is now for real reforms.
“Enough is enough.”
Tuesday’s meeting with President Trump called a busy day in the nation’s capitol for Sheriff Hodgson, who participated in a media event sponsored by the Federation for Immigration Reform at the National Press Club with other Sheriffs from across the country and members of the Advocates for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime, which included parents who have lost children and other family members to illegal aliens in the United States.
Sheriff Hodgson will be back at the White House on Wednesday morning with AVIAC members and other Sheriffs on a policy meeting with White House staff members working on illegal immigration and border security legislation.
