The heightened rhetoric from Border Patrol agents and ICE officers during recent forceful arrests is a response to “antagonists” who protest these federal agencies, according to Paul Perez, president of the National Border Patrol Council.

Perez, along with Juan Proano, CEO of the civil rights organization The League of United Latin American Citizens, appeared on “CUOMO” Tuesday night to address the recent incidents involving both migrants and protesters being detained by ICE and Border Patrol.

“Many people become angry and upset by what they witness, but the story often overlooks that these agitators, these antagonists, are not the individuals we are targeting for arrest,” Perez explained.

He went on to clarify, “These are individuals who are obstructing our legitimate right to enforce existing laws, which results in the appearance of chaos, making it seem as though we are dealing with riot-like situations almost everywhere and every day.”