Congresswoman Lee Statement on Voting Against Funding Lawless ICE Activities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Susie Lee (NV-03) released the following statement on her decision to vote against writing a blank check to fund unlawful and unconstitutional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) practices:
“I support law enforcement and the critical role that ICE should play in enforcing our nation's immigration laws. Violent criminals who are in this country illegally should be deported, and we have due process and laws that dictate how we enforce that.
“However, under this Administration, ICE has shown blatant disregard for the rule of law and gone well beyond its purpose, engaging in unconstitutional activities. Earlier this month, our country watched in horror as ICE agents shot a young mother point blank, and just yesterday we received appalling reports that a 5-year-old had been arrested and sent to a detention facility 1,000 miles away from his home. American citizens are being grabbed off the streets and out of their homes without warrants and mistakenly deported.
“As such, I will be voting against providing over $10 billion extra in taxpayer money to fund an agency that is blatantly violating Americans’ constitutional rights and terrorizing our communities. This is not law enforcement.
“Had this DHS appropriations bill included appropriate reforms and accountability measures, I would have likely supported it. However, Republicans rejected several opportunities to ensure such guardrails were included, such as requiring ICE to obtain warrants, mandating officers wear body cameras and proper identification, enforcing use of force standards, and prohibiting arresting U.S. citizens.
“This vote is about sending a clear message: in America, we have laws that apply to everyone – including law enforcement. Over the summer, Republicans in Congress forced through a $150 billion blank check for ICE, funding these unconstitutional operations without guardrails or oversight. We must restore checks and balances to ensure ICE abides by the Constitution. Until then, I cannot support sending them billions in extra funding.”
This week, Congresswoman Lee introduced the PUBLIC SAFETY Act, redirecting $75 billion of the extra ICE funding to local law enforcement departments to help hire and train 200,000 local cops nationwide. Yesterday, she led nearly two dozen battleground House Democrats in a letter calling for an immediate, impartial, and transparent investigation into the horrific killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis.
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