Kevin McAleenan, acting Homeland Security secretary, recently walked off stage at an immigration conference at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., where he was scheduled to speak and then do an audience Q&A. The conference is an annual event organized by the Migrant Policy Institute, which is a nonprofit immigration think tank. Mostly attorneys and advocates attend.

Why the stomp off? Immigration advocates protested his speaking time by shouting the names of children who died at the border, as well as phrases like “when immigrants are under attack, we fight back” when McAleenan was about to speak. Some protesters held banners, including one which read “Hate is Not Normal.”

McAleenan tried to start three times before thanking the host, shrugging, and walking off.

The clip is now going viral on Twitter:

x WATCH: Protesters disrupt Acting Homeland Security Sec. Kevin McAleenan remarks. Following multiple attempts to start, he thanks hosts and departs.



Full video: https://t.co/xPU4Fdpliv pic.twitter.com/Up6tygy3JO Ã¢ÂÂ CSPAN (@cspan) October 7, 2019

Given that ICE is the most unpopular federal agency in the public’s eye, as reported by a new Pew research survey, is anyone surprised? Really: How can he be surprised?