ICE Faces Uncertain Future With Few Allies in Washington After Trump
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was untouchable just one year ago.
Celebrated as «heroes» and «national treasures» by then-President Donald Trump in awkwardly choreographed ceremonies at the White House – often in the East Room – the federal agency responsible for deporting immigrants now finds itself deeper than it’s ever been in the friendless political wilderness of Washington policymaking.
«In terms of ICE’s specific budget,» House Homeland Security chair Bennie Thompson said in an interview with LPO when asked if he anticipates increasing the agency’s funding this year, «I can’t tell you if it increased or whether it stays the same.»
Pressed on the feasibility of passing a funding decrease for ICE this year, Chairman Thompson paused, then spoke slowly, quietly. Almost in a whisper.
«Well,» said Thompson, «let me say whatever we spend, it needs to be in the right direction. If we need more facilities to house the influx of people, then those facilities need to meet standards. They just shouldn’t be warehousing people like we’ve had to do.»
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas – a senior policy hand to every Democratic president since Bill Clinton – was confirmed by the Senate on February 2.
Since then, the Cuban-American from Los Angeles has had to contend with undoing the willful damage the Trump administration did to the national immigration system many say was already profoundly dysfunctional before the Trump administration did everything in their power to make it worse.
«There was no record keeping of those separated families,» Mayorkas told MSNBC on Monday of the migrant children the Trump administration ordered separated from their parents at the border.
The policy drew intense condemnation both at home and abroad after videos began to surface online, broadcasting the agonizing sight and sounds of human rights catastrophes within the federal deportation machine.
«We certainly have a challenge at the border,» Mayorkas said on Monday. «We have remarkable people to address that challenge and a plan in place that we are executing.»
Speaking to LPO last week, Chairman Thompson said that Secretary Mayorkas «has assured me that the values we have as Americans will be upheld at any of the 22 agencies under him.»
A spokesperson for Secretary Mayorkas did not immediately reply to LPO’s questions about ICE funding for 2022.