Acting ICE director defends agency's focus on targeting criminal illegal aliens, details threat to agents

"You would not see this many ICE agents and special agents on the street [in sanctuary jurisdictions] focused on the criminal illegal-alien mission if they would just turn people over to us. That's the key," Lyons said on "Sunday Morning Futures."

"These local law enforcement agencies have already deemed these individuals a public safety threat and arrested them. Why not work with federal partners, turn them over to us, and let us get them out of our communities?" he asked.

Lyons criticized local officials for invoking dangerous rhetoric about ICE. 

"In my 30 years of law enforcement, I never thought we would have to send law enforcement to protect law enforcement. But I don't think you'd see as many of the issues if political leaders would allow their local and state law enforcement to work with us," he said.

He criticized elected officials for automatically assuming ICE is doing something wrong and disputed the idea that the agency would target U.S. citizens.

"And now... you're seeing attacks on ICE officers and our other federal partners for only going out there and doing their law enforcement mission," he said.

Fox News Digital's Anders Hagstrom and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.