Progressive lawmakers like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who call for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are showing they don't want to do the work they were elected to do, according to former acting ICE Director Thomas Homan.

The anti-ICE legislators are ignoring several important aspects of the agency's national security role when they vilify it, Homan said in an interview Sunday on "Life, Liberty & Levin."

"They want to abolish an agency that does gun trafficking investigations, narcotics investigations, does investigations where our technology is smuggled overseas — such as missile technology that can be used against our warfighters," said Homan, who added that ICE has also rescued "hundreds of women from sex trafficking."

Host Mark Levin pointed to Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. and Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., as two of the more vocal lawmakers in favor of abolishing ICE.

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"They're talking about abolishing a whole lot — the customs service [and] immigration enforcement," he said.

Homan pointed out ICE simply follows the laws enacted by Congress and does not act like the rogue government agency it is often accused of being.

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"They want to abolish an agency that helps keep this country safe — and that enforces laws they enact," he said. "So they'd rather abolish an entire federal law enforcement agency, and abolish everything I just talked about than to do their job. ICE isn't making this up. ICE is enforcing the laws they enacted. If they don't like it, then stand up and legislate. Do your job, but don't vilify the men and women that leave the safety of their home every day to defend this nation."

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Homan said the anti-ICE lawmakers may not realize the agency has a civil rights division that gets involved with suspects accused of related offenses. He also told Levin that ICE has been tasked with finding and deporting individuals suspected of war crimes committed by Nazi Germany.

"We have removed hundreds of Nazis from the United States over the years and sent them back to face trial," Homan said.

In 2018, ICE deported the last known Nazi collaborator living in the U.S., a former Polish labor camp guard named Jakiw Palij who had been residing for many years in Queens, N.Y.