Border Democrat Cuellar rejects calls to abolish ICE as he prepares to control its funding

As "Abolish ICE" has become a rallying cry for more than a dozen progressive Democrats, longtime Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar of a southern border district in Texas has said Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not going anywhere.

The "Abolish ICE" movement gained force after a new class of Democratic Socialists of America members arrived in Congress in the midterm elections. But Cuellar told Fox News Digital that they make up just "one part of the spectrum" and that there are many "blue dog" Democrats like himself who value strong border and immigration policies.

"I don't believe in defunding ICE and I think the majority of the Democrats do not believe defunding ICE, but there are serious guardrails we need put on ICE," Cuellar said.

He also warned Democrats against returning to the border policies of the Biden administration. "We just can't open up the border and just say anybody that wants to claim asylum can come to the borders. That policy under Biden administration — I hope that every Democrat running for national office doesn't do that anymore," he said.

Democratic Representative Seth Moulton has said the party has no immigration plan and is only in opposition to Trump.

Cuellar is currently the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and is poised to become its chairman. In that role he would have significant influence over how funding for ICE is allocated.

His district includes Laredo, where Border Patrol has a major presence. He has repeatedly broken with his party on immigration enforcement. In January he voted with Republicans to approve a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that included billions of dollars for ICE, though he later opposed a 70-billion-dollar Republican-backed enforcement package over concerns about oversight.

He has criticised ICE for pursuing immigrants without criminal records, even though federal law allows the agency to arrest people for civil immigration violations. He has also called for greater oversight of the agency.

"Anybody that thinks that what ICE is doing, going after nuns, going after pastors, going after dreamers, they think that's normal? I don't think so," Cuellar said.

He attributed the Democratic gains in Texas to Trump's immigration enforcement tactics.

The Abolish ICE movement became a flashpoint for the Trump administration amid sweeping immigration enforcement operations in major cities including Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Chicago and New Orleans. According to the White House, the operations have resulted in more than 1.3 million arrests and 1.2 million illegal immigrants being deported or leaving the country.

Democrats and immigrant rights activists have criticised ICE's tactics, including targeting courthouses, churches and job sites, as well as conditions in detention centres. The agency also faced fierce backlash over the fatal shootings of two American citizens by ICE agents in Minnesota just weeks apart in January 2026.

In the months that followed, Democratic governors in New York, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland and Minnesota signed laws restricting local and state cooperation with federal immigration officials.

Meanwhile, ICE's partnerships with Texas authorities have expanded through 287(g) agreements that allow local officers to assist with immigration enforcement, jail screening and administrative warrants. Texas law now requires most county sheriffs to seek these agreements.

Cuellar said local law enforcement should have a limited role. "I think the local sheriff should report somebody that's there illegally. I think that's it. But anything beyond that, I think we need to have a discussion," he told Fox News Digital.

Like Cuellar, Texas Democratic Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has been highly critical of ICE's tactics. At a rally in January, she criticised Governor Greg Abbott for directing state agencies to make Texas land and facilities available for federal immigration detention.