Why did seven Democrats vote to approve funding for ICE? This is the reason and list of representatives

The US House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security on by a 220-207 vote. Only one Republican, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, broke with his colleagues to say ‘nay’ to the bill.

Meanwhile, seven Democrats sided with the Republican majority to approve the $64.4 billion legislation that includes $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) despite the national outrage at the brutal tactics being employed by its agents and their party’s leaders announcing opposition to the bill.

“Taxpayer dollars are being misused to brutalize U.S. citizens, including the tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good. This extremism must end,” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a statement.

Dems who supported the DHS funding bill defend their vote

While their support for the DHS funding bill, which would extend the agency’s funding, including for ICE, through 30 September drew visceral reactions and calls for them to be primaried across social media, the Democratic lawmakers defended their ‘yea’ vote.

The Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Henry Cuellar, admitted in a statement that the bill is “not perfect” but said that “it imposes real oversight, secures real funding, and produces real outcomes for our communities.”

The congressman added that because his district in Texas encompasses a 280-mile stretch of the U.S.-Mexican border he is “focused on putting guardrails on the Department and directing resources where they are needed.”

He pointed out that the bill provides billions in funds to several other vital DHS services like FEMA, the Disaster Relief Fund, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and first responders.

Representative Tom Suozzi of New York made a similar argument to validate his vote and explain that the bill was the product of “bipartisan negotiations and responsible governing.”

He acknowledged that “there is no question that ICE has overstepped its bounds,” and that its agents “must enforce the law with transparency, accountability, and due process — not with indiscriminate, chaotic sweeps.”

“That said, I am voting for the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, not to expand ICE enforcement or add more agents, but to fund the core operations Americans rely on every day,” he said in a statement. “[The bill] fully funds DHS without expanding funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

“Let me be clear: any ICE funding currently in place was authorized under the so-called ‘One Big Beautiful Bill,’ a hyper-partisan package signed into law in July that I opposed,” he added.

He also said that he is “strongly” opposed to “allowing another shutdown to disrupt the lives of working families.” This sentiment was also expressed by Reps. Laura Gillen and Marie Glusenkamp Perez.

The latter said: “In a DHS shutdown, ICE would continue operating with limited oversight thanks to funding in the One Big Beautiful Bill, which I voted against. Meanwhile, agencies like the Coast Guard or FEMA–and communities like mine–would take the hit.”

The following are the seven Democratic U.S. Representatives who voted for DHS and ICE funding:

• Henry Cuellar (Texas)
• Don Davis (North Carolina)
• Laura Gillen (New York)
• Jared Golden (Maine)
• Vicente Gonzalez (Texas)
• Marie Glusenkamp Perez (Washington)
• Tom Suozzi (New York)

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