Last week, two House Democrats from Long Island, Rep. Laura Gillen and Rep. Tom Suozzi, went against their party leadership by backing a Republican-sponsored spending bill aimed at increasing funding for ICE. This decision led to significant outrage on the left, with some calling for their removal from office.
These two self-proclaimed “moderate” Democrats supported a $64.4 billion funding package for the Department of Homeland Security, which included nearly $10 billion earmarked for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Their votes were instrumental in the bill passing the House with a narrow margin of 220-207, and the backlash from fellow Democrats has been fierce, with calls for primary challenges against them.
Despite the pushback, both Gillen and Suozzi defended their actions, criticizing colleagues who opposed the bill. “I support funding for immigration enforcement and the common-sense guardrails included in this package,” Gillen stated. She expressed her astonishment that others would vote to defund essential security services while allowing ICE to persist as it is.
Alongside five other Democrats, Gillen and Suozzi helped move the bill forward, while Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was the lone Republican to vote against it. Massie and several Democrats raised concerns that the bill effectively gave ICE a “blank check” without proper oversight, particularly in light of ongoing controversies surrounding the agency’s operations, notably in Minneapolis, which many have labeled “authoritarian.”
In response, Suozzi acknowledged that while ICE sometimes oversteps its authority, passing the bill was crucial for ensuring the agency’s operational continuity for national security.
Still, this justification didn’t sit well with many within the Democratic Party, especially progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who argued there was “no excuse” for the votes of Gillen and Suozzi. On the flip side, some Republicans, including Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, expressed skepticism about their attempts to present themselves as moderate, accusing them of trying to “run undercover” amid the party’s perceived socialism.
The two Democrats represent significant portions of Nassau County, where Blakeman previously established a controversial partnership with ICE, claiming it was among the most comprehensive collaborations between local and federal governments in the nation.
In nearby Suffolk County, Republican Reps. Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota also supported the funding bill. However, the legislation still needs Senate approval and must secure the President’s signature, with a funding timeline extending to September 30.
