N.Y. Republican met with jeers over ICE tactics during town hall in swing district

"SUFFERN, N.Y. Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican in a competitive New York congressional district, ran into a disruptive and sometimes hostile crowd at a town hall on Sunday night. With the GOP holding onto a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats hope to flip the seat in this year's midterm races. The Cook Political Report considers the election in New York's 17th Congressional District, which covers several suburban New York counties in the Hudson River Valley, a toss-up race."

"While appearing at a community college in suburban Rockland County, Lawler tried to appeal to the broad spectrum of constituents in his district. "People cannot afford to live here," Lawler told the crowded auditorium. "It's why I have focused extensively on key issues like housing." But audience questions quickly turned to recent events in Minneapolis and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's tactics. Just days before, Lawler had published a guest essay in The New York Times saying that the country's current immigration policy is not working and called for a "a common-sense bipartisan solution.""

""I think what happened in Minneapolis is tragic," Lawler said Sunday. "I believe it was entirely preventable." Lawler told the town hall audience that he supports certain reforms of ICE tactics and immigration policy. He said he supports equipping ICE agents with body cameras and a ban on masks. The congressman said he also wants to create a path to legal status for immigrants who've worked in the U.S., pay taxes and have no criminal record. "That does not mean citizenship, but it does mean that they come out of the shadows and that they can participate in our economy and in our community without fear of being deported," Lawler said."

Rep. Mike Lawler encountered a disruptive and sometimes hostile crowd at a town-hall in Suffern amid a competitive race in New York's 17th Congressional District. Constituents raised concerns about housing affordability, recent shootings in Minneapolis, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics. Lawler emphasized housing as a key focus and described current immigration policy as not working, urging bipartisan solutions. He endorsed ICE reforms such as body cameras and a ban on masks, and proposed a path to legal status for immigrants who work, pay taxes, and have no criminal record. He also called for a federal investigation into the shootings.

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