Before McAleenan began his remarks, protesters stood up and yelled, "When immigrants come under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!"
McAleenan attempted three times to start his speech, but was interrupted by the protesters on every occasion.
"OK, last time, team," McAleenan said as he attempted to start his speech a third time.
"Lot to cover today, there's some very serious issues that we can talk about today in candor, or we can continue to shout."
McAleenan then said he'd "
like to take the dialogue above the politics and the daily news cycle" and discuss "some of the fundamental issues we face with the current legal framework and its ability to address large scale immigration flows."
That line was a reference to the Trump administration's attempts to change immigrant protection laws and regulations that it says are being exploited by human smugglers.
But protesters again started their chants and McAleenan walked out.