Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ) is taking a stand against how the government wants to fund immigration enforcement, saying the agency in charge has been making too many serious mistakes without facing consequences.
Stanton voted against a new spending bill this week that would give billions of dollars to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He says the agency needs better supervision before getting more money.
The congressman pointed to troubling incidents that happened in Arizona. In one case, ICE arrested a member of the Navajo Nation even after the person proved he was a U.S. citizen. In another incident, officials held an American citizen in Nogales for almost ten days.
"Here in Arizona, ICE has detained a member of the Navajo Nation even after he showed proof of U.S. citizenship and held a U.S. citizen for nearly ten days in Nogales. This pattern of reckless enforcement with no regard for basic civil rights must be stopped," said Stanton. "Without real, enforceable oversight that holds agents who break the law responsible, ICE will only get worse. I cannot vote to fund a paramilitary-style mass deportation operation that keeps getting it wrong and hurting so many Arizonans."
What does Stanton want to do instead?
Instead of sending tens of billions to ICE, Stanton introduced a new bill called the PUBLIC SAFETY Act with other Democratic representatives. Their plan would redirect about $75 billion that Republicans want to give ICE and send it to local police departments across the country.
Nearly $30 billion would go toward hiring over 200,000 local police officers nationwide, while another $45 billion would support police training, help crime victims, and fund crime prevention programs.
However, the bill wouldn't eliminate ICE's normal budget, just the extra money.
"While departments around the country are struggling to recruit and retain officers, the Trump Administration funnelled $75 billion in taxpayer funds towards its poorly trained mass deportation force," said Stanton. "They're not making Americans safer – they're causing chaos and fear."
The funding debate barely passed an initial vote in the House, with Republicans winning 220-207.
Democrats are requesting a separate vote.
