Washington, DC — Yesterday, after President Trump took steps to fund TSA on his own, the Senate passed a bill to fund all of DHS without any additional money for ICE and CBP. Beyond the legislative and procedural specifics, the events are a reminder of several key points with broader implications.
According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director of America’s Voice:
“This important week in the fight against mass deportation underscored that while the politics of immigration have changed dramatically, Donald Trump and Stephen Miller’s anti-immigrant obsessions have not. Those opposed to the Trump/Miller mass deportation crusade – nearly all Democrats and the strong majority of Americans – should be emboldened by the developments this week and remain laser focused and strong in demanding accountability and real reforms to the out-of-control chaos, cruelty and violence we all have been witnessing. As both parties look toward November and the midterms, the reality is that mass deportation is politically toxic and the public is calling for real reforms and real change.”
Below are two key points about the DHS shutdown and implications:
- Despite new messaging and a new messenger at DHS, the Trump/Miller mass deportation obsession endures: The Trump administration was capable of funding TSA all along but was willing to subject the American people to airport delays and government employees to lost paychecks in an attempt to exert leverage for even more funding for mass deportation. Remember that the current ICE/CBP funding at issue comes after ICE and CBP received more than $150 billion in the Big Beautiful Bill legislation just last year. All of it underscores the reality that the mass deportation obsession remains paramount for President Trump and especially de facto President Miller – despite GOP attempts to signal they’ve turned the page on their deeply unpopular mass deportation agenda through new messaging and Sec. Mullin at DHS.
- More evidence about the shifted politics of immigration: Democrats stood strong, remained united and stood with the majority of the American public in both calling for real reforms to out-of-control immigration enforcement and not another dollar for immigration enforcement unless and until real change was part of the funding package. Meanwhile, states such as New Jersey are enacting new policies to add accountability and important state-level reforms. Rather than an isolated or unpopular position, these demands for reform are backed by the strong majority of Americans, who are rejecting mass deportation and the misplaced priorities of this administration.
