Democrats Held Firm on Overhauling ICE, Senate Republicans Buckled
WASHINGTON — Third Way released the following statement from Sarah Pierce, Director of Social Policy:
"Game, set, match. Democrats held firm, Senate Republicans buckled, and critical functions under the Department of Homeland Security will be funded, assuming House Republicans read the room. But the critical task of overhauling ICE remains. And Republicans still refuse to have DHS implement even the most basic public-safety guardrails when it comes to interior immigration enforcement.
"Immigration laws must be enforced. It is not unreasonable to demand—as Democrats did—that enforcement be professional, accountable, trusted, and designed to improve public safety, not endanger US citizens, terrorize bystanders, or reward agencies that have shown reckless disregard for the law. Republicans had every chance to join them. Instead, they chose to defend abuse, excuse chaos, and block even the most reasonable protections for the public.
"The quest to overhaul ICE continues. Americans watched two US citizens shot and killed by DHS agents in broad daylight, then learned that DHS had killed another US citizen nearly a year earlier and never bothered to inform Congress or the public. Americans watched agents pulling US citizens from cars, pointing weapons at bystanders, using chokeholds, kneeling on people’s heads, firing pepper balls at peaceful protesters, and deploying tear gas into residential neighborhoods. Republicans need to get the message.
"It is not unreasonable to demand that federal agents operate with professionalism, transparency, accountability, and respect for public safety.
"President Trump made the Republicans’ bad faith even clearer last night when he showed he could have paid hardworking TSA officers throughout these negotiations. The chaos at America’s airports was not unavoidable. It was leverage. The administration was willing to let TSA workers go unpaid and let airport disruptions worsen in order to pressure Democrats into dropping basic public-safety standards.
"Democrats were right to refuse. They stood for order over lawlessness, safety over intimidation, and accountability over impunity. Republicans failed a basic test: when Americans needed them to put guardrails on dangerous federal power, they chose to protect DHS and the administration's deportation agenda instead of protecting the public."