Schmidt: We're going to remove violent offenders from our country

As anti-ICE protests grow across the nation, southeast Kansas Congressman Derek Schmidt expressed his appreciation for those federal officers, telling the KZRG Morning Newswatch "The big picture is we have an important law enforcement operation that is enforcing the laws of our country that has to be done directly by the federal government because the state and local officials will not cooperate."

"We're in this mess because the previous president let millions of people flood into our country," he added. "And within that mass of humanity were the criminal street gangs, the cartels, our adversaries around the world, who use that as cover to bring into the country many people who have committed crimes here and who have ill intent."

Protesters across the U.S. are calling for “no work, no school, no shopping” as part of a nationwide strike on Friday to oppose the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

The demonstrations are taking place amid widespread outrage over the killing Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse who was shot multiple times after he used his cellphone to record Border Patrol officers conducting an immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. The death heightened scrutiny over the administration’s tactics after the Jan. 7 death of Renee Good, who was fatally shot behind the wheel of her vehicle by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.

Schmidt praised President Trump's decision to change leadership on the ground. "I think very highly of Tom Homan. He's a professional, solid law enforcement officer. I think he's going to assuage some of the concerns that have been raised, but he's also going to get the job done."

Schmidt also talked about how beneficial it will be to have the World Cup in Kansas City this summer, saying it will stimulate the economy in places hours away from KC. "I was over in Fort Scott meeting with some of the folks at the national park there at the historic site. And we wound up talking about the potential for, or really drawing in some visitors from Kansas City during the World cup to come see this piece of American history that we all sort of, I hate to say take for granted, but we live it every day. The old western frontier that ran along the military road right along the border there. And so tremendous opportunities for us throughout the region. And we just keep talking it up."