Rep. Delia Ramirez Calls for Dismantling of DHS
During a news conference on Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez from Illinois announced her intention to “dismantle” the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), asserting that all individuals she deemed “fascists” in the Trump administration would receive “justice.”
Democratic lawmakers recently blocked a funding bill, known as the “minibus,” for DHS and advocated for significant reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This follows the tragic shooting deaths of Alex Preti and Renee Nicole Good in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Ramirez suggested that before focusing on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials like Stephen Miller and Tom Homan, the agency itself posed the “greatest threat to the homeland.”
“Americans are witnessing a reform of an agency that has been using taxpayer funds to carry out actions in broad daylight,” Ramirez claimed. “This is why the Melt ICE Act seeks to eliminate funding for DHS that targets vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and children, and instead directs that money back into communities affected in places like Minnesota, Chicago, and Portland.”
She added, “Ultimately, we must hold this administration accountable. Everyone needs to realize that we will dismantle ICE, dismantle DHS, and we’ll see it through.”
Accusations of fascism have been aimed at President Trump by Democrats, extending even to ICE. Minnesota’s Democratic Governor Tim Walz referred to ICE as “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo” during his May 17 speech at the University of Minnesota. Meanwhile, Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has drawn parallels between the agency and historic slave patrols during a radio show appearance in September.
On Tuesday, Rep. Jerrold Nadler from New York described individuals at ICE as “thugs” and maintained that they have instigated “fascism on our streets.” He even suggested that it would be “justified” to take extreme measures against these “masked thugs” who have “kidnapped” individuals.
According to a DHS announcement on January 8, assaults against ICE officers surged by 1,300%. They also noted a staggering 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks and an 8,000% rise in death threats against their personnel. Sadly, there have been incidents of ICE officers being shot in states like Illinois and California. Notably, a shooting at an ICE office in Dallas led to two fatalities before the shooter took his own life.
Additionally, in July, at least two gunshots were directed at ICE and law enforcement in Texas. Following a separate incident, ten individuals faced charges for conspiracy related to an attack on an ICE facility in Alvarado.
