WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Rob Menendez today released the following statement after the passage of Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) funding legislation that excluded funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) and the U.S. Border Patrol:
“I joined House Democrats in fighting to remove funding for ICE and Border Patrol from Department of Homeland Security legislation. In response, Republicans shut down essential agencies like FEMA and the Coast Guard for over two months.
“We refused to bend and delivered for the American people – funding essential DHS operations while excluding ICE and Border Patrol.
“This fight is not yet over. Republicans are pushing to give ICE an additional $70 billion in taxpayer dollars through reconciliation. I remain committed to fighting their extreme anti-immigrant agenda and to stopping the terrorization of our communities.”
Since coming to Congress, Rep. Rob Menendez has been a leader on fighting for immigrant rights. Menendez has called for the end of ICE and led efforts to demand that ICE agents identify themselves when conducting enforcement operations. Earlier this year, Menendez was on the ground in Minnesota for a field hearing, listening to the testimony of victims of ICE and DHS’s abuses and state and local elected officials. Last year, Reps. Menendez, Watson Coleman, and McIver were conducting legal oversight at the Delaney Hall detention facility when they were confronted by over 20-armed ICE and HSI agents in an incident that gained national attention.
