Anti-ICE Democrats have been emboldened by another shooting during an ICE arrest.
Democratic Rep. Delia Ramirez of Illinois announced Wednesday that she is introducing legislation aimed at abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and redirecting its funding to left-wing community safety programs.
The proposed Reimagining Safety Act would create a “new human- and community-centered federal department” focused on promoting “collective safety.” According to Ramirez, the new department would prioritize humanity over “surveillance” and “terrorizing people.”
Ramirez stated that funding for ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security should be redirected to programs that “working families rely on.” She introduced the bill at a news conference in Chicago, where she was joined by various politicians, immigration rights activists, and community organizers.
The legislation follows increased calls from Democrats against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security after an ICE-involved shooting in Austin, Texas.
In previous congressional hearings, Ramirez has compared ICE agents to the Ku Klux Klan and slave patrols. She has also sponsored bills intended to restrict ICE’s mission.
Ramirez previously stated: “ICE is shooting people who are going to work, taking their children to school, and even visiting as tourists. The death toll of ICE victims keeps rising. The actions of ICE’s masked death squads reflect the shameless cruelty of [President Donald] Trump and [Trump aide Stephen] Miller’s policies, paid for by our tax dollars. It’s time to stop the ICE age.”
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
Ramirez had previously drawn attention when she declared herself a “proud Guatemalan” first and an American second, and she is reportedly married to an illegal alien who received DACA amnesty from the Obama administration.
