As the debate over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill continues, one truth is becoming increasingly clear: Democrats refuse to support the law enforcement officers charged with protecting our communities. Instead of supporting DHS and ICE in carrying out their mission, they are waging a dangerous crusade to weaken enforcement and undermine the rule of law.
My Democratic colleagues are seeking to strip DHS of enforcement authority, reduce its operational capacity, and limit cooperation with state and local law enforcement agencies. At a time when border security and domestic enforcement are critical to public safety, they choose politics over protection.
I refuse to accept that. I stand firmly with the courageous men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These professionals perform a difficult and often dangerous mission to protect our communities. They deserve our respect, gratitude and the resources necessary to do their work effectively.
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The DHS bill before us reflects these priorities. This is the same bill that both Republicans and Democrats negotiated in a bipartisan manner, and the same bill that Republicans were willing to pass to guarantee the department’s funding for the entire year.
Instead of supporting DHS and ICE in carrying out their mission, Democrats are waging a dangerous crusade to weaken enforcement and undermine the rule of law.
The bill, as it stands now, provides the tools necessary for domestic enforcement, allowing ICE agents to identify, detain, and remove individuals who violate our laws and pose a risk to the public. But it’s important to understand that this legislation goes far beyond immigration enforcement. It includes vital funding for the various missions performed every day by agencies like FEMA, TSA, the Secret Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and many more. The 260,000 people working to counter cyber attacks, secure our borders and coastlines, and protect critical infrastructure – to name a few.
Recent events here in West Virginia illustrate how effective enforcement can work when there is cooperation. During a statewide operation earlier this month, ICE agents worked with state and local law enforcement agencies to arrest more than 650 individuals illegally present in the United States, including those with serious criminal histories. This operation was successful with minimal disruption to the public. Furthermore, the operation stands in stark contrast to the unrest and disorder we have seen in other parts of the country – such as Minnesota – where local cooperation has broken down and enforcement actions have been met with chaos and confrontation.
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Closing or hampering an agency of DHS’s size and importance does not make oversight any easier. It does not reinforce responsibility. And it certainly doesn’t solve any of the problems we face at our borders or within our communities. Instead, it endangers our national security and weakens the very institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law.
Democrats have repeatedly pushed for provisions that would erode enforcement authority, limit ICE operations and block cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. By doing this they are not supporting DHS; they are actively working to undermine it.
That’s why the demands Democrats are making in this debate are so troubling. Instead of ensuring our national security personnel get what they need, Democrats have repeatedly pushed for provisions that would erode enforcement authority, limit ICE operations, and block cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. By doing this they are not supporting DHS; they are actively working to undermine it.
West Virginians deserve better than political play when it comes to homeland security. They deserve leaders who unequivocally stand behind the men and women of DHS and ICE, and not wage an ideological campaign against them.
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I will continue to fight to ensure that ICE has the resources, authority and support it needs to do its job. Weakening enforcement is not compassion. It’s neglect. And it is the communities we represent – ​​from small towns in West Virginia to cities across the country – that will bear the consequences.
Protecting West Virginians will always be my priority. That starts with standing firmly behind DHS and ICE – and rejecting efforts to weaken them.
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