A longtime Democratic House member representing a southern border district said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not going anywhere as "Abolish ICE" became a rallying cry for more than a dozen progressive Democrats elected or reelected in the midterms. While the elections brought a new class of Democratic Socialists of America members to Congress, Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, told Fox News Digital that they make up just "one part of the spectrum" and that there are many "blue dogs" like himself who value strong border and immigration policies.
"I don't believe in defunding ICE and I think the majority of the Democrats do not believe defunding ICE, but there are serious rail guards we need put on ICE," Cuellar said. Cuellar also warned Democrats against returning to the Biden administration’s border policies. DEM REP SETH MOULTON SAYS PARTY HAS NO IMMIGRATION PLAN, IS ONLY ‘OPPOSITION TO TRUMP’ "We just can't open up the border and just say anybody that wants to claim asylum can come to the borders.
That policy under Biden administration — I hope that every Democrat running for national office doesn't do that anymore," Cuellar said. Cuellar, who is currently the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, is poised to become chairman, giving him significant influence over how funding for ICE is allocated. The congressman's district includes Laredo, where Border Patrol has a major presence.
Cuellar has repeatedly broken with his party on immigration enforcement, including voting with Republicans in January to approve a DHS funding bill that included billions for ICE, though he later opposed a $70 billion Republican-backed enforcement package over concerns about oversight. Cuellar has criticized ICE for pursuing immigrants without criminal records, even though federal law allows the agency to arrest people for civil immigration violations. He has also called for greater oversight of the agency.
"Anybody that thinks that what ICE is doing, going after nuns, going after pastors, going after dreamers, they think that's normal? I don't think Cuellar said, attributing the blue wave in Texas to Trump's immigration enforcement tactics. The Abolish ICE movement became a flashpoint for the Trump administration amid sweeping immigration enforcement operations in major cities including Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans.
The operations have resulted in more than 1.3 million arrests and 1.2 million illegal immigrants being deported or leaving the country, according to the White House. Democrats and immigrant rights activists have criticized ICE's tactics, which include targeting courthouses, churches and job sites, as well as conditions in detention centers. The agency has also faced fierce backlash over the fatal shootings of two American citizens by ICE agents in Minnesota just weeks apart in January 2026.
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