Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) is poised to become chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, a position that will give him direct control over funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In an interview with Fox News Digital, Cuellar rejected the Abolish ICE movement, saying most Democrats oppose defunding the agency but want stronger oversight and rail guards.
"I don't believe in defunding ICE and I think the majority of the Democrats do not believe defunding ICE, but there are serious rail guards we need put on ICE," Cuellar told Fox News Digital. He added that the new class of Democratic Socialists of America members in Congress makes up just "one part of the spectrum" and that many "blue dogs" like himself value strong border and immigration policies.
Cuellar, who currently serves as ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, is next in line to lead it. His district includes Laredo, Texas, where Border Patrol maintains a major presence. He has repeatedly broken with his party on immigration enforcement, including voting with Republicans in January to approve a Department of Homeland Security funding bill that included billions for ICE. He later opposed a $70 billion Republican-backed enforcement package over concerns about oversight.
The congressman has criticized ICE for pursuing immigrants without criminal records, even though federal law allows the agency to arrest people for civil immigration violations. He has 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, attributing the blue wave 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, those 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 criticized ICE's tactics.
Cuellar's stance puts him at odds with the progressive wing of his party, which has pushed to defund or abolish ICE entirely. With Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, Cuellar's upcoming chairmanship will make him a key figure in determining how much funding ICE receives and what conditions are attached. His calls for "rail guards" suggest he may use the appropriations process to shape enforcement priorities, even as he rejects outright defunding.
"We just can't open up the border and just say anybody that wants to claim asylum can come to the borders," Cuellar said. "That policy under Biden administration — I hope that every Democrat running for national office doesn't do that anymore."
Our Take
Henry Cuellar is no conservative, but give him credit for one thing: he's not pretending that abolishing ICE is a winning message. The Texas Democrat knows his border district, and he knows that the American people—including plenty of Democrats—want secure borders and law enforcement, not open-borders socialism. His refusal to join the defund chorus is a rare moment of sanity from a party that has spent years catering to its radical base.
But don't pop the champagne yet. Cuellar's talk of "rail guards" and his criticism of ICE going after nuns and pastors is code for hamstringing enforcement. He voted against the $70 billion enforcement package, and his oversight demands could become a backdoor way to tie ICE's hands. With him wielding the purse strings, conservatives need to watch closely. Will he fund the agency adequately, or will he use his chairmanship to impose the same progressive priorities he claims to reject?
Americans deserve an immigration system that puts their safety first—not one that treats ICE agents as the enemy. Cuellar says he doesn't believe in defunding ICE. Now he has the power to prove it. Patriots should hold him to that promise.
