Shouted down by protesters, Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan was forced to abandon a planned speaking engagement at Georgetown law school Monday morning.
As McAleenan was introduced to speak at the Migration Policy's Institute's annual immigration forum, demonstrators in the crowd stood up, holding up banners that read "stand with immigrants" and "hate is not normal."
"When our immigrants are under attack what do we do?" some of the protesters chanted.
"Stand up fight back," others chanted back.
Acting Homeland Security Sec. Kevin McAleenan forced to leave speaking engagement at Georgetown Law Center after protests and chants of "stand up fight back" from the audience left him unable to deliver his remarks. https://t.co/G95Nu2Txye pic.twitter.com/1GxvIuiSdz
— ABC News (@ABC) October 7, 2019
McAleenan tried to start his remarks multiple times, but was shouted down as more protesters in the crowd stood up and started chanting.
"When children are under attack, what do we do?" some shouted.
"Stand up fight back," others repeated.
One of the protesters, a member of the liberal activist group Credo Action, later blamed the organizers for giving McAleenan a stage to argue for the administration’s hard-line immigration policies.
"No Trump henchmen should be given a platform to spread hatred or defend the racist, xenophobic policies put into place by Donald Trump and Stephen Miller," said Credo Action campaign director Nicole Regalado. "Institutions that elevate the architects and enforcers of Trump's hate and normalize that cruelty can expect to hear from us."
McAleenan attempted to start another time but was shouted down again. One protester shouted "bull****" in response. Another called him a liar. McAleenan then departed the lectern and Meissner announced the conference would continue with the next scheduled panel.