Transcript: Rep. Tony Gonzales on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Aug. 10, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez of Texas that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Aug. 10, 2025.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We're gonna pick up that conversation with Texas Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, who joins us now from San Antonio. Congressman, welcome back to 'Face The Nation.' You just heard Senator Kelly describe the frustration he experienced and the personal stories he witnessed in these ICE detention facilities. Given your oversight role, have you had similar concerns?
REP. TONY GONZALES: Good morning, Margaret, and while I appreciate Senator Kelly's service, the part that he's getting wrong with ICE is for every sad story of someone being deported, there's 10 sad stories of Americans that have had their lives turned upside down because of the illegal immigration. And to be demonizing ICE agents is not right. Right now there- ICE agents are- have a 1,000% increase on attacks, yet they're seeing a huge increase in amount of people that want to serve. There's currently 10,000 vacancies, and they have nearly 100,000 applications. I do think there's a balance where we need to go after these convicted criminals, the worst of the worst, and be able to tackle some of that, but we should be encouraging the this- this enforcement of law, not the sanctuary cities that allow the lawlessness to take place.
MARGARET BRENNAN: No. And I think the senator was talking about how it just wasn't working during the last administration, so he was not praising that past system, but in terms of how the current one is being operated, I know you had raised concern that those being mass deported were not necessarily the worst of the worst and violent offenders. I know that because you issued that letter to ICE and the data that came back showed that most of the convictions were for traffic or immigration offenses, not violent criminals. Less than 1% of the convictions of those deported were for homicide, only 1.2% were for sexual assault. So doesn't that speak, though, to what Senator Kelly was saying- which is, it's not the criminals, it's the grandmas?
REP. GONZALES: Well, he's just telling the grandma story. He's not talking about, you know, how DHS rounded up pedophiles and some other violent actors in Los Angeles and throughout the country. So you have to tell all sides to it, but you hit it right on the head earlier when you said immigration is a very emotional conversation. And it's where we have to get it right. You have to separate those that may be in a- in a different situation than the worst of the worst. What I am encouraged to see- is I am encouraged that after we have passed the one big, beautiful bill and have given DHS $45 billion that there are now creating these task forces and going after very strategic operations that take out the pedophiles, the murderers. Numbers matter, but more specifically, who is being detained. Traffic violations don't excite me as much, and I don't think keep communities as safe as taking out, you know, murderers and convicted criminals that are danger to all- all communities.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Do I hear you saying that this new money will now allow them to actually focus on violent offenders instead of just anyone they encounter who did, at one point, enter illegally?
REP. GONZALES: Yes, and this is what I'm seeing- is I'm seeing a mix of the self-deportations. Secretary Noem has been very active. She's- essentially has traveled Central and South America, talking to a lot of heads of state, and a lot of folks are self-deporting back to these countries to the tune of hundreds of thousands. I think what that does, is that alleviates some of the stress on DHS, essentially to put numbers on the board and instead create these task forces to go after these bad actors. To me, that's the secret sauce. You create these task forces and get- get after the worst of the worst.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, we do see, though, in the courts that the Trump administration is trying to do away with limits on child detention. One of ICE's only family detention facilities is in your district in Texas, and you did vote for the 'One Big Beautiful Bill', and it includes a provision that allows families with children to be held indefinitely, which contradicts that long standing precedent of putting a 20 day limit on detaining children. Do you think that needs to be changed in future legislation? Should there be limits on detaining kids?
REP. GONZALES: Possibly. I mean, the legislative piece is a much more long road. What I've seen under both the Biden administration and the Trump administration is that it's a delicate balance, right? How do you keep families together? How do you make sure that there- there is coordination to what to- what country they're going to but what we don't want to see is somebody indefinitely held without having due process. But what we do want to see, is after that due process is completed, that they're immediately removed in a humane environment. And you know, I visit- visit- visited these facilities under both administrations, and I've never had a problem with ICE facilities. They've always been allowed me to view everything I wanted. I've taken pictures. I've done videos, I've talked- I've spoken to people that were there, and I think that's the important part, our government needs to be transparent to what's happening.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And we would love to take our cameras into some of those facilities. If you could help us do that, sir, because we don't have that access. And I know a number of those immigration advocates have- have said that they are frustrated they don't have more access now to share with the public what they're hearing. But now I do want to ask you about this Fort Bliss facility, an Army base that's partially in your district. I understand they're trying to turn it into a place with tents- soft sided tents to hold 1000 individuals under ICE custody. Doesn't blurring the lines between law enforcement and the military start to get us into uncomfortable territory?
REP. GONZALES: It could. But let me- let me give you some of the details on that facility. In particular. One that- the soft side facility is located right next door to the current ICE facility in El Paso. So while it's on Fort Bliss, it really, in many cases, is managed by ICE. The other- some other details, there's already over 100,000 illegal aliens in that facility by the end of the week, I expect that number will raise up to over 1000 and then in the coming weeks, it will raise to several 1000. Now, the price tag, $1.2 billion. I'm a little concerned that the initial cost is 230 million that the Department of Defense is paying for. And so that's where I don't- Fort Bliss is the Swiss Army knife of the of the Army, they do a fantastic job of whatever mission gets sent their way. But I don't want to see Department of Defense get stuck with the bill, if you will. This is where the details matter. We just passed this $45 billion for- for- for- border security. I'm hoping some of those funds reimburse Department of Defense for their efforts.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But the mixing of military and law enforcement, that part- besides the accounting, doesn't that make you uncomfortable?
REP. GONZALES: Yeah, it- it does- well, you have to get it right. You know if it's on base, and you know if there's collaboration. The fact is, it makes it a streamlined process because of how close it is to the airfield- Briggs Airfield, so that, in turn, makes a safety issue and it makes it just a cleaner effort. So there's a balance there. But I don't want it long term. I don't want to see soldiers operating in space. I don't think they want to be doing that, but the fact that they're in there now- it's a seamless transition right now.
MARGARET BRENNAN: All right. Tony Gonzales. Congressman, appreciate your time. We'll be right back.
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