Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., has introduced legislation that would dismantle the Department of Homeland Security as it currently exists, abolishing both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, and prompting a sharp response from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin.
Ramirez’s bill, called the Reimagining Safety Act, would replace DHS with a new “Department of Community Safety.” Some existing agencies would survive the overhaul, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Coast Guard, and customs functions. But ICE would be eliminated outright, with the bill directing the government to “begin the process of establishing a separate civil immigration system.” CBP, the agency responsible for policing the southern border, would also be abolished.
Mullin, addressing Ramirez directly in a statement to Fox News Digital, defended the department’s workforce. “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,” he said.
A DHS spokesperson went further, arguing Ramirez should be crediting immigration agents rather than criticizing them. “Ramirez should be thanking our law enforcement for removing these dangerous criminals from her district—NOT vilifying law enforcement,” the spokesperson said, adding that rhetoric like hers has contributed to a “more than 1,300% increase in assaults” against agents.
DHS also supplied Fox News Digital with a list of people arrested in Illinois who are in the country illegally, including Bulgarian national Rumen Georgriev, convicted of rape with a weapon; Abdukadir Haji of Somalia, convicted of sexual assault and rape; and Cuban national Samuel Reyes-Silva, convicted of robbery and homicide.
Ramirez, a member of the progressive group of lawmakers known as the “Squad,” did not back down. “Every day, Americans wake up with a new reason to dismantle DHS, reimagine safety, and build something that honors our shared humanity,” she said in a statement. “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.”
She also accused DHS of dishonesty in its response. “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,” she said.
The clash comes amid a broader national debate over immigration enforcement that has intensified in recent months. Calls from Democrats to abolish ICE have grown following bipartisan criticism of the Trump administration’s approach, most recently after agents shot a Venezuelan national in Austin, Texas. The killing of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration officials earlier this year has also fueled backlash. Ramirez’s legislation goes further than most previous proposals by also targeting CBP for elimination.
