Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., scolded Attorney General Pam Bondi over federal immigration enforcement during a combative congressional hearing Wednesday.

A House Democratic lawmaker told Attorney General Pam Bondi that the "worst of the worst" targeted by the Trump administration are actually native-born Americans, not illegal immigrant criminals. 

Rep. Steve Cohen, of Tennessee, was speaking to Bondi during a combative congressional hearing over the Justice Department’s handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein when he made his remarks. 

"We need people working on the front lines and local law enforcement to protect our citizens from the worst of the worst," Cohen said. "The worst of the worst are not the immigrants. The worst are the worst, records show, are native-born Americans, and they are committing crimes that hurt our citizens and our cities."

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Rep. Steve Cohen said the "worst of the worst" are native-born Americans, not immigrants, during a congressional hearing. (Jonathan Newton-Pool/Getty Images)

"And you're working against it," he added. "And thank you for that, but by trying to get our local law enforcement, where we have an undercount of officers in Memphis, to leave Memphis and go to work for ICE to deport people is a wrong priority."

The Trump administration has said that around 70% of the illegal immigrants targeted by federal immigration authorities have criminal records, including for violent offenses. 

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Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on "Oversight of the Department of Justice" on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty )

Many Democrats maintain that most illegal immigrants have not broken any laws aside from entering the United States illegally. 

Bondi argued that local and federal law enforcement both need "strong people."

"I've seen some of the worst of the worst, violent criminals, violent criminals who were in this country illegally," she said. "We both know that."

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Cohen also told Bondi that ICE was "running rampant" and that Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were "executed" by federal authorities in Minneapolis as they allegedly impeded law enforcement operations. 

"They were executed like (Homeland Security Secretary) Krisit Noem executed her dog, and that was wrong," Cohen said. "And you should investigate those people. And you should investigate anybody that uses a weapon as a federal official or not, for civil rights violations."

Louis Casiano is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to louis.casiano@fox.com.

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