Cook County Chronicle: Dems blast ICE funding; LaHood says action ‘ends chaos’
Illinois Democratic congressmen are blasting the federal spending bill for ICE that lawmakers approved on a partisan vote.
“It is beyond irresponsible to hand ICE – an agency that has murdered Americans, kidnapped people off our streets, and ignored the constitutional rights of those they’ve detained – a $70 billion check and no accountability,” said U.S. Rep. Sean Casten, D-Downers Grove. “To do so less than one year after providing ICE with an additional $140 billion in the Big Ugly Bill is downright negligent.
“The funding bill passed by the House fails to include even the most basic guardrails to prevent further abuses by the Department of Homeland Security, protect due process rights, or address the agency’s repeated and catastrophic failures.”
President Donald Trump signed the Secure America Act, addressing funding for immigration and border control, on June 10. The U.S. Senate passed the bill on a 52-47 vote June 5. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill by a 214-212 vote on June 9.
Illinois’ two U.S. Democratic senators both voted against the measure.
The state’s Democratic congressional reps voted against the reconciliation legislation, while the state’s three Republican representatives in Congress supported the measure.
“Congressional Republicans could have used this budget to ensure that taxpayer dollars are not used to compensate Jan. 6th rioters who attacked police officers defending our Capitol. The president has repeatedly stated his intention to do so,” added Casten, the 6th District congressman. “Democrats offered amendments to prevent public funds from being used in this way, but Republicans refused to support them.
“Americans have been asking Congress and the Trump administration to address the skyrocketing cost of living. That is what the reconciliation process should have been used for. Instead, congressional Republicans chose to waste another $70 billion on an agency focused on brutalizing Americans in our streets. This bill will forever be a stain on all who supported it.”
U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, said he couldn’t support the Republicans’ reconciliation package.
“Republicans’ latest budget is a continuation of their so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,” the 11th District congressman said. “The legislation does nothing to ease the cost of living, lower health care expenses, or bring down gas prices.”
Foster said $70 billion given to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol in the bill is on top of $140 billion given to the agencies in 2025.
“Together, that amounts to roughly $600 per American spent on a deeply unpopular immigration enforcement operation that puts both U.S. citizens and immigrants at risk,” the congressman said.
“At the same time, this legislation fails to rein in the DOJ’s proposed $1.8 billion slush fund, which would give taxpayer-funded payouts to Trump’s family members, donors, and Jan. 6 cop killers,” Foster said. “This level of corruption cannot continue to go unchecked by congressional Republicans.”
Darin LaHood was the only one of Illinois’ Republican congressional reps to comment publicly on the reconciliation legislation.
“For months, Democrats held DHS funding hostage and put American lives at risk,” LaHood said. “With the House’s vote and President Trump’s signature on this bill, that chaos ends.
“I was proud to vote to fund ICE and Border Patrol and make clear that the safety of Americans won’t be allowed to be used as political leverage again. These are the men and women on the front lines combating human trafficking, stopping drug smugglers, and removing criminal illegal immigrants from our communities. They deserve our full support, not to be defunded for Democrat political gains.
“House Republicans are committed to keeping our nation secure, and I’ll always put Illinois families first.”