GOP Senator Explains Importance of ICE Funding Win
Sen. Eric Schmitt is warning that what he calls Democrats’ approach to immigration poses a serious threat to public safety and national sovereignty, as a provision he authored targeting sanctuary city policies advances as part of a major immigration funding package.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, the Missouri Republican argued that resistance to immigration enforcement goes beyond policy disagreements and reflects a deeper ideological divide over the role of national borders and federal law.
“There’s an electoral play here. It’s about raw power,” Schmitt said, suggesting that political considerations are driving Democratic opposition to stricter immigration enforcement measures.
Schmitt’s proposal was included in the House-passed reconciliation package that provides funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The provision allocates $350 million to help ICE agents take custody of criminal illegal immigrants after they are released from state or local detention facilities.
The measure is aimed largely at sanctuary jurisdictions, where local officials often decline to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Schmitt argued that those policies allow criminal offenders who are in the country illegally to be released back into communities instead of being transferred directly to ICE for deportation proceedings.
“And I know that sounds crazy, but that’s the practical implication,” Schmitt said, claiming that thousands of such cases occurred in 2025.
According to Schmitt, the issue extends beyond individual crimes and speaks to broader questions about national sovereignty.
“I think it’s a very important time for Western civilization, honestly, to stand up and say, ‘No, we actually believe in sovereignty. We believe that a country can decide who can come and who has to go,’” he said.
The senator argued that deporting illegal immigrants who commit violent crimes should be an area of broad agreement, describing it as one of the simplest immigration enforcement priorities available to lawmakers.
Throughout the interview, Schmitt pointed to several recent criminal cases involving illegal immigrants that have received national attention. He cited cases involving alleged gang violence, murder, and sexual assault as examples of why he believes stronger enforcement measures are necessary.
Schmitt also maintained that taking custody of criminal illegal immigrants directly from jails and prisons is safer for both law enforcement officers and the public than conducting large-scale immigration operations in neighborhoods after offenders have already been released.
The debate arrives as immigration remains one of the most contentious issues in Washington. Republicans have pushed for expanded enforcement powers, increased border security funding, and greater cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. Many Democrats, meanwhile, have argued for balancing enforcement with due process protections and have criticized some federal immigration tactics.
Schmitt expressed frustration with what he sees as continued resistance to immigration enforcement from Democratic leaders.
“I can’t explain why they wanted an open border,” he said. “I can’t explain why they don’t want criminals deported from this country.”
For Schmitt, the issue ultimately comes down to public safety and enforcement of existing laws.
“That’s on them,” he said. “But we’ve got a job to do, which is to make the American people more safe.”