As the debate over the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill continues, one truth is becoming increasingly clear: Democrats are refusing to stand with the very law enforcement officers tasked with protecting our communities. Instead of supporting DHS and ICE in carrying out their mission, they are pursuing a dangerous crusade to weaken enforcement and undermine the rule of law.
My Democratic colleagues are attempting to strip DHS enforcement authority, diminish operational capacity, and restrict cooperation with state and local law enforcement. At a time when border security and interior enforcement are critical to public safety, they are choosing 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 carry out a difficult and often dangerous mission to safeguard our communities. They deserve our respect, our gratitude and the resources necessary to do their jobs effectively.
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The DHS bill before us reflects those priorities. This is the same bill that both Republicans and Democrats negotiated in a bipartisan manner, and the same bill Republicans were ready to pass to ensure full-year funding for the department.
The bill, as it stands now, provides the tools required for interior enforcement, enabling ICE agents to identify, detain and remove individuals who break our laws and pose risks 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 carried out every day by agencies like FEMA, TSA, Secret Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and so many more. The 260,000 individuals who work to counter cyberattacks, secure our borders and coastlines, and protect critical infrastructure—just to name a few.
Recent events here in West Virginia illustrate how effective enforcement can work when there is cooperation. In a statewide operation earlier this month, ICE agents partnered with state and local law enforcement to arrest more than 650 individuals illegally present in the United States, including those with serious criminal histories. This operation took place successfully 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—like Minnesota—where local cooperation has broken down and enforcement actions have been met with chaos and confrontation.
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Shutting down or hamstringing an agency of DHS’ size and importance does not make oversight easier. It does not strengthen accountability. And it certainly does not solve a single challenge we face at our borders or inside our communities. Instead, it jeopardizes our national security and weakens the very institutions responsible for upholding the rule of law.
That is why the demands coming from Democrats in this debate are so troubling. Rather than ensuring our national security personnel have what they need, Democrats have pushed repeatedly for provisions that would erode enforcement authority, restrict ICE operations, and block cooperation between federal, state, and local law enforcement. In doing so, they are not standing with DHS — they are actively working to undermine it.
West Virginians deserve better than political gamesmanship when it comes to homeland security. They deserve leaders who will stand unequivocally with the men and women of DHS and ICE, not wage an ideological campaign against them.
I will continue fighting to ensure that ICE has the resources, the authority and the support it needs to do its job. Weakening enforcement is not compassion. It is neglect. And it is the communities we represent—from small towns in West Virginia to cities across the country—who 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.
