VP's new comms director apologizes for 12-year-old tweet urging ICE to ‘pick up’ illegal immigrants

“As a pundit I tweeted+spoke A LOT,” he wrote.
Jamal Simmons, 2016

Vice President Kamala Harris’s communications director this week apologized for a tweet he wrote 12 years ago in which he suggested that immigration officials should arrest two illegal immigrants appearing on television.

In the 2010 tweet, Jamal Simmons—a former consultant and commentator—wrote of seeing “2 undocumented folks talking on MSNBC. One Law student the other a protester.” 

“Can someone explain why ICE is not picking them up?” he added. 

Tweet URL

In an apology shortly after being announced as Harris’s communications director this week, Simmons wrote: “As a pundit I tweeted+spoke A LOT. At times I've been sarcastic, unclear or plainly missed the mark. I apologize for offending ppl who care as much as I do about making America the best, multiethnic, diverse democracy.”

Simmons also promised to “rep the Biden-Harris admin w/humility, sincerity+respect.”