Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has introduced legislation that would redirect roughly $140 billion in funding previously set aside for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, sending the money instead to communities the congresswoman says have been harmed by immigration enforcement operations.
Omar’s office announced the Make ICE Pay Act in a press release Thursday, describing it as a response to “Operation Metro Surge,” an immigration enforcement effort in Minnesota. The bill would take funds originally allocated to ICE and Border Patrol under the Trump administration’s tax and spending package and direct them toward what Omar calls “local recovery efforts” in areas affected by Department of Homeland Security operations nationwide.
Under the proposal, local jurisdictions could use the money to provide economic relief and distribute funds to nonprofits, small businesses and other affected groups. The bill lists potential uses including support for schools, healthcare and psychological services, increased local government expenses, investigations, and memorialization efforts. The program would be run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, monitored by that agency’s inspector general, and would expire three years after it takes effect.
“ICE has been tearing through our nation, devastating our neighborhoods, our cities, and our businesses,” Omar wrote on X. “Our communities deserve accountability. My Make ICE Pay Act will redirect ICE’s $140 billion budget to the communities they’ve hurt the most.”
Republican Reaction
The bill has almost no chance of passing while Republicans control Congress and the White House, but it drew swift criticism from GOP lawmakers and conservative commentators.
“This bill is un-American. This bill defunds law enforcement and gives their funding to the communities harboring criminal illegal aliens. Democrats fight for everyone except the American people,” Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., posted on X.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also criticized the bill on X, writing, “Defund ICE. Weaken the border. Then expect safer communities? That math isn’t mathing.”
Conservative commentary account LibsofTikTok called the proposal “the definition of America last,” adding, “Denaturalize and deport.”
John Nagel, a Republican challenging Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District this November, wrote on X that “her entire existence is on crippling the United States,” describing her as “anti-police and pro communism.”
Fox News Digital said it reached out to Omar’s office for comment on the criticism.
Ongoing Investigation
The legislation comes as White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed last week that the Department of Homeland Security is examining allegations involving Omar, though he declined to detail what he called an “ongoing criminal investigation.”
When asked whether the federal government has evidence that Omar committed immigration or naturalization fraud, Homan declined to comment. Asked directly whether he was confirming an investigation involving Omar, he said, “I’m confirming that ICE is, yeah — look, I said months ago that there’s something that’s been reported and needs to be looked at.”
Omar has for years faced allegations that she married a man critics claim is her brother as part of an immigration scheme. She has repeatedly denied the claim, which has not been proven in public records. In December, she called the allegations “bigoted lies” and said on social media that President Trump was “obsessed” with her.
