Statement on Acting Secretary Chad Wolf's Visit to Florida

Today, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf visited Tampa, Florida for a discussion on law enforcement. During a June 7th interview with ABC News, Wolf said, “I do not think that we have a systemic racism problem with law enforcement officers across this country.”

This stunning denial ignores not only centuries of racism in America, but also ample evidence that Black Americans are disproportionately victims of police brutality and that Black people are dying of Covid-19 at three times the rate of white people. At a time when the overwhelming majority of Americans, including many Republicans, support police reform proposals advocated by Democrats, Trump and his administration continue to show how out of touch they are.

In response to Acting Secretary Wolf’s visit to Florida today, Frances Swanson, spokesperson for the Florida Democratic Party released the following statement:

“Chad Wolf can’t spin his boss’ disastrous record. As our country united to demand change following the murder of George Floyd, the Trump administration dog whistled to white supremacists, ignored systemic racism in law enforcement, and sicced the US military on peaceful protesters. Floridians deserve better — Joe Biden has been addressing these problems head on and is exactly the type of compassionate, thoughtful leader we need in the White House.”