House Dem set to wield power over ICE budget rejects DSA calls to abolish immigration enforcement agency

Congressman Henry Cuellar says he will not abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), despite calls from some Democrats to end the agency. As the senior Democrat on the House panel that funds the Department of Homeland Security, he is expected to lead it when Democrats take control of the House in January, giving him influence over ICE’s budget.

Cuellar says he wants to restore rules directing ICE to prioritise people convicted of crimes and add restrictions to its funding, including on detention centres. He said the House had completed its part of this year’s Homeland Security funding bill, while the Senate had not. His position contrasts with incoming New York representative Claire Valdez, who first called for abolishing ICE and later said voters had mandated that it be reined in; Cuellar has also supported some Republican-backed border measures and was pardoned by President Trump last December.