EXCLUSIVE: Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin is firing back at a progressive House Democrat who is pushing one of the most radical Trump administration crackdowns yet.
Mullin and his DHS spokesperson both criticized legislation by Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., a member of the progressive “Squad,” that would dismantle most of the department and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Radical leftists are calling to defund the police and abolish DHS. It’s NEVER going to happen. Our 270,000 DHS patriots are keeping Americans SAFE— unlike this open-borders politician who refuses to prioritize Americans over illegal aliens,” Mullin told Fox News Digital.
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His spokesperson went even further, telling Fox News Digital that Ramirez “should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these dangerous criminals from her district—NOT vilifying law enforcement.”
“This type of rhetoric is contributing to a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them as they put their lives on the line,” the DHS spokesperson said. “While sanctuary politicians smear ICE, law enforcement is arresting criminals and saving countless American lives.”
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DHS also pointed Fox News Digital to a list of illegal immigrants arrested in Ramirez’s home state of Illinois. It included Bulgarian national Rumen Georgriev, who was convicted of “rape with a weapon,” Abdukadir Haji of Somalia, who DHS said was convicted of “sex assault and rape,” and Cuban national Samuel Reyes-Silva, who was convicted of “robbery and homicide.”
Ramirez’s legislation, the Reimagining Safety Act, would create a “Department of Community Safety” while dismantling DHS as it is currently known.
Certain agencies like the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Coast Guard, and customs functions would be preserved.
The bill would abolish ICE and “begin the process of establishing a separate civil immigration system,” according to a release. It would also abolish Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency charged with keeping the southern border free of illegal crossings.
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Democrat calls to abolish ICE have swelled in recent months amid bipartisan criticism of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration, reigniting most recently when agents shot a Venezuelan national in Austin, Texas. Backlash has also been targeted at federal immigration officials’ killing of two U.S. citizens earlier this year.
But Ramirez’s bill would go further in dismantling the current anti-illegal immigration enforcement system with its call to end CBP as well as ICE.
She fired back at the Trump administration’s criticism in a statement to Fox News Digital, “Every day, Americans wake up with a new reason to dismantle DHS, reimagine safety, and build something that honors our shared humanity. The people have the power to reshape the government: instead of the weapon DHS has proven to be, we need a department built on the best parts of who we are and can be, and the best examples of how we can take care of each other in hard times.”
“Markwayne and DHS will keep spreading cheap lies and fearmongering in a desperate attempt to save face because dismantling DHS and building something new is part of how we hold them accountable, stop corruption, and end their lawlessness,” Ramirez said.