Congresswoman Betty McCollum Opposes Funding for ICE & Border Patrol

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman Betty McCollum, the Dean of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation, delivered the following remarks on the House floor opposing H.R. 7744, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2026 (Click here to watch on YouTube):

“Mr. Speaker, this Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill fails to address the dangerous and illegal activity from DHS agents that Minnesotans have witnessed during Operation Metro Surge. 

“Our neighbors were racially profiled and detained without cause. Peaceful demonstrators were threatened and harassed. American citizens were assaulted, kidnapped from their homes, and even killed in our streets.

“Democrats are calling for common sense reforms to protect our communities and our rights. We want ICE and Border Patrol agents to follow the same rules as our local law enforcement: identify yourself, use body cameras, get a real judicial warrant to enter homes, and establish a policy for the use of force. We want their aggressive operations to be prohibited at our schools, our houses of worship, and our polling places. And when DHS agents engage in illegal or dangerous behavior, we want independent investigations to hold them accountable.

“I will not vote for more funding for ICE or CBP until this Congress includes those reforms.

“Republicans should allow a vote on Ranking Member DeLauro’s bill that would separate ICE, Border Patrol, and Secretary Noem’s office while we negotiate reforms. It would fund the law-abiding components of DHS, like the Coast Guard, FEMA, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, CISA. 

“CISA works to protect our critical infrastructure, our emergency communications systems, and our election systems. In Minnesota, we learned that the hard way when Saint Paul suffered a major cyber-attack last summer. It took weeks to recover. That is why I am puzzled why Republicans would cut $268 million from CISA in this bill. We should be increasing money for cyber-security -not reducing it.

“I urge my colleagues to vote no. I yield back.”