Democrats react to Alex Padilla being ousted as DHS reporter
Rep. Max Frost called on Congress to “summon Kristi Noem” after Sen. Padilla was kicked out as a DHS reporter.
- California Sen. Alex Padilla is calling for further restrictions on funding for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a possible government shutdown.
- Mr. Padilla is seeking accountability measures against ICE and CBP, citing concerns over recent events and actions by ICE and CBP.
- He is calling on federal employees to wear body cameras, stop using unmarked vehicles and stop profiling.
Sen. Alex Padilla of California wants to impose further restrictions on funding for the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Jan. 30 deadline to avoid a federal shutdown.
The Democratic congressman said he wants assurances that the departments that oversee Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which he believes terrorize the country, will be held more accountable.
Padilla cited President Donald Trump’s previously controversial mass deportation plans in Los Angeles and Chicago, as well as ongoing aggressive immigration enforcement and civil unrest in Minneapolis that led to the shooting deaths of two Americans, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Preti, by federal immigration agents this month.
“We want to use this moment to bring real, enforceable accountability measures against ICE and CPB,” Padilla told USA TODAY in a Jan. 30 phone interview. “As long as they continue to act as if they are above the law, we should not approve additional funding for them.”
Padilla’s comments came more than two months after the U.S. endured the longest government shutdown in history, and amid the lingering threat of another federal shutdown.
The Senate passed a bill that would fund most departments except the Department of Homeland Security through the end of September. It was a partial deal, with just two weeks of DHS funding, and Democrats like Padilla had called for reining in immigration officials.
The Senate voted 71-29 to move the bill to the House. This comes after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) initially opposed closing the deal early.
After stalling in an earlier vote, Graham said he had received consent from Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-South Dakota, to vote on a bill that would crack down on sanctuary cities and allow widespread litigation stemming from special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the 2020 election.
“He told me he supports a vote on my bill that would repeal the sanctuary city policy once and for all by making it a federal crime for state and local officials to knowingly violate federal immigration law,” Graham said in a statement. “Remove the hold and vote yes on the package.”
Padilla thinks there’s still work to be done.
But Padilla said no government funding package should be approved without stronger measures regarding the role of federal agents in enforcement activities. Democrats plan to use the next two weeks to negotiate changes such as ending “patrol patrols” carried out by undercover officers in unmarked vehicles and requiring officers to wear body cameras and have proper identification.
“They have to take off their masks and turn on their body cameras,” Padilla said. “Body cameras in particular, we know from state and local law enforcement experience that not only are they good for general public safety, but they’re also good for officer safety. It’s a proven policy.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) agrees with Padilla.
“If Republicans are taking seriously the very reasonable demands that Democrats have made on ICE, there’s no reason they can’t come together quickly to pass a bill, which should take less than two weeks,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “These are not radical demands; they are basic standards that the American people already expect from law enforcement.”
But Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) told reporters on January 30 that the next two weeks of negotiations on changes to ICE and CPB would include “the content and efficiency of a Class 8 car wash.”
“I’m not going to vote for a series of so-called reforms designed to cripple ICE, and I don’t think my Republican colleagues will either,” Kennedy said. “And I hope this prediction is wrong, but what I feel is a long, long shutdown of DHS.”
Padilla said he wants to make sure federal agents don’t stop people simply because they look or speak a certain way. He also called for a “credible, independent investigation” if agents are accused of using excessive force.
“We also want to make sure that enforcement actions are taken based on judicial warrants, which have long been the policy of the case,” Padilla added. “In other words, ICE, CBP, and other federal agencies are not simply pulling up people who meet certain profiles that the Supreme Court has allowed them to do.
“So you can’t violate the law when you’re trying to enforce the law,” Padilla added.
Padilla says President Trump is trying to “rigg” midterm elections
Padilla believes the Trump administration pulled the plug after Attorney General Pam Bondi delivered a three-page letter to Minnesota leaders calling it a “common sense solution.” Mr. Bondi called for the state’s voter rolls, Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Services program records, and the repeal of local sanctuary policies.
“This is clearly not about government security. It’s a political power grab. They want Minnesota’s voter rolls, and just days ago the FBI raided an election center in Georgia and took 2020 election materials,” Padilla said. “They are trying to rig the upcoming November election in a desperate attempt to stay in power. This is what it is for them.”
As another government shutdown looms, Padilla has a message for his Republican colleagues:
“Here’s the bottom line: This is for Congressional Republicans,” Padilla said. “Do they want a government shutdown or accountability for a Department of Homeland Security that is out of control? That’s the bottom line.”
