Democratic Lawmaker Says 'I Failed' After Voting To Fund ICE
Source: Huff Post
Jan 26, 2026, 11:23 AM EST | Updated 6 hours ago
WASHINGTON ― Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) expressed regret for voting to fund the Department of Homeland Security after the latest fatal shooting by a federal immigration agent in Minnesota. I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis, Suozzi said in a social media post on Monday. I hear the anger from my constituents, and I take responsibility for that. I have long been critical of ICEs unlawful behavior and I must do a better job demonstrating that.
The New York Democrat joined six other Democratic lawmakers in helping pass a funding bill last week that included $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $18 billion for Customs and Border Protection. It did not include any restraints on ICEs often-violent tactics in Minnesota and elsewhere, as scores of Democrats had demanded.
The killing of Alex Pretti by a Customs and Border Protection agent in Minneapolis on Saturday, however, has galvanized Democrats against the funding bill en masse, with Democratic senators threatening a partial government shutdown later this week unless the Trump administration changes course. The shooting has even disturbed some Republicans, who broke with the Trump administration by denouncing Prettis killing and calling for an investigation.
Suozzi, a moderate who co-chairs the House Problem Solvers Caucus, initially said last week he opposed shutting down the government because ICE would nonetheless continue to function due to an infusion of billions of dollars to the agency from President Donald Trumps so-called Big Beautiful Bill. He also noted shutting down DHS would affect other agencies, like FEMA and the Coast Guard. Now, in a sign of how much the tide has shifted against Trumps immigration policies, especially after Prettis killing, Suozzi is siding with his party and urging Trump to withdraw ICE from Minneapolis immediately.
Read more: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-funding-tom-suozzi_n_69778bb2e4b00e79865dc76d?origin=home-latest-news-unit
(Michael Gold is a NYT reporter)
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Tom Suozzi says he "failed" in voting for the DHS bill, in an email to his campaign list
"I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis."
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10:11 AM · Jan 26, 2026

Klarkashton
(4,977 posts)liberal N proud
(61,174 posts)You knew what you voted for. If you didnt, you have no business being in office.
33taw
(3,299 posts)Too little too late.
Torchlight
(6,406 posts)A sincere apology for an obvious mistake can be admirable. But apologies do not erase consequences. Until the damage is addressed and the harm meaningfully repaired, an apology, however well-phrased, won't change the taste of mustard.
paleotn
(21,752 posts)Clouds Passing
(7,295 posts)paleotn
(21,752 posts)The district that gave us George Santos.
What the hell is it about that damn Island? And that other damn Island. Is that where NYC banishes it's nutters?
BlueKentuckyGirl
(531 posts)I'm waiting for apologies from the other 6 Dems that voted for funding DHS!
purr-rat beauty
(1,049 posts)And do it again