Department of Homeland Security chief Kevin McAleenan was shouted off stage by pro-immigration protesters

Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan speaks about the impact of the dramatic increase in illegal crossings that continue to occur along the Southwest during a news conference, in El Paso

• Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan abandoned the podium at an immigration conference in Washington on Monday after protesters repeatedly shouted over him.
• McAleenan said he wanted to discuss "some of the fundamental issues we face with the current legal framework and its ability to address large-scale immigration flows" with the audience of students, immigration lawyers, and advocates. 
• The protesters began shouting out a series of chants, including, "When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back," and read the names of children who have died in US custody. 
• The event's moderators attempted to quiet the protesters to no avail and after about seven minutes, McAleenan exited the room. 
• "Colleagues, you're invoking democracy," said Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute. "Democracy requires dialogue, it requires listening, it requires a two-way street."
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Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan abandoned the podium at an immigration conference in Washington on Monday after protesters repeatedly shouted over him as he attempted to deliver his remarks.

McAleenan, a keynote speaker at the annual conference hosted by the Migration Policy Institute at Georgetown Law School, said he wanted to discuss "challenges and efforts that we've faced over the past year ... and some of the fundamental issues we face with the current legal framework and its ability to address large-scale immigration flows." 

Protesters in the audience interrupted him, shouting a series of chants, including, "When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up fight back." Two people held a banner reading, "Hate is not normal."

Protesters outside the event chanted, "Hey hey ho ho, DHS has got to go." One held a sign that read, "F--k ICE," referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

The event's moderators attempted to quiet the protesters, insisting that the democratic values they called to protect included freedom of speech. 

"Please, that's enough now," Doris Meissner, the former commissioner of US Immigration & Naturalization Services under President Bill Clinton's administration. "We hear you. This is a forum where we respect free speech, we respect your right to protest, but in respect to this audience, who wants to hear the speaker, let's save the rest of it for the Q&A period." 

But the protesters began to read a list of names of migrant children who have died in US custody, including at migrant detention centers where reporters and advocates have documented substandard and unhygienic conditions. 

The group continued to shout as McAleenan again began his remarks. 

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"You're robbing the rest of this audience of an opportunity to engage in a dialogue that is important to have on a university campus," Meissner said over the shouts. 

Andrew Selee, president of the Migration Policy Institute, took the microphone after the protesters interrupted McAleenan again. 

"Colleagues, you're invoking democracy," Selee said. "Democracy requires dialogue, it requires listening, it requires a two-way street."

After about seven minutes of protests and attempting to speak, McAleenan exited the room. 

After McAleenan left, the director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Anna Gallagher, took the podium and expressed solidarity with the protesters' concerns about the Trump administration's immigration policies, but lamented the loss of an opportunity to question McAleenan about the administration's actions. 

"I appreciate your point, I think it's the right point, and I think it's the wrong place," Gallagher said, to much applause from the audience.