EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Darline Graham slams Dems’ efforts to defund ICE, shut down detention centers
Sen. Darline Graham (R., S.C.) is joining Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.) in pushing back against Democratic efforts to defund ICE and shut down immigration detention facilities, arguing that Republicans cannot allow Democrats to reverse President Donald Trump’s progress securing the border.
The Washington Reporter specifically asked Graham about the growing Democratic push to defund ICE and Sen. Dick Durbin’s (D., Ill.) efforts targeting the detention facilities that ICE relies on to enforce immigration laws.
Graham responded by strongly defending ICE agents and calling on Congress to continue funding the agency and supporting its work.
“President Trump has made tremendous progress securing our border, and we cannot allow far-left Democrats to undo it,” Graham told the Reporter. “If you want to come to this country, come legally, follow our laws, and live by our values. That is common sense.”
“ICE agents do an incredibly difficult job enforcing our immigration laws and removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities,” Graham continued. “Instead of demonizing or defunding them, Congress should continue giving them the resources and support they need to do their jobs.”
Graham’s comments come as Republicans increasingly seek to make Democratic opposition to immigration enforcement a political liability.
As the Reporter reported last week, Barr similarly blasted what he called the “Socialist movement to abolish ICE and open our borders,” arguing that weakening immigration enforcement would put Americans at greater risk.
Barr specifically pushed back on Durbin’s attacks on ICE detention facilities, which Republicans and the Trump administration have argued are designed to undermine immigration enforcement by building political support for shutting down detention facilities altogether.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee subsequently shared the Reporter’s story and Barr’s comments, suggesting Senate Republicans see the issue as a potent line of attack against Democrats heading into November.
Durbin has faced Republican criticism over a recent report attacking conditions at an ICE family detention center. Republicans and the Administration have argued that shutting down detention facilities would make it harder for ICE to detain and deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens.
The fight comes as calls to defund ICE have become increasingly prominent among Democrats. Abdul El-Sayed won Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary after campaigning on defunding ICE, while other prominent Democrats have pushed for major cuts to immigration enforcement.
Republicans are increasingly responding with a straightforward argument: ICE cannot arrest, detain and deport dangerous criminal illegal aliens if Democrats strip the agency of resources and eliminate the detention infrastructure it needs to enforce immigration laws.
Graham’s comments put her alongside Barr in making that case and provide another indication that Republicans intend to make Democratic opposition to ICE and immigration detention a major issue in Senate races this fall.
