Providing for Consideration of H.R. Consolidated Appropriations Act, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Department of Homeland Security funding bill. I cannot support funding for a Department that has shown repeated disregard for the Constitution, the rule of law, and the safety of the people it is supposed to protect.

Mr. Speaker, I remind the American people and this body: Every Member of Congress has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution. That means all aspects of it--the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, the rights of due process, and the rights of unwarranted search and seizure. Yet, we are failing at this moment because ICE is terrorizing the American people and violating constitutional rights every single day.

We have seen ICE agents and the Department of Homeland Security detain and arrest American citizens without any justification, enter homes without warrants, use excessive force when it wasn't required, and ignore constitutional rights.

They are even weaponizing children in this country, kidnapping them from schools and using them as weapons against their parents. It is morally wrong, outrageous, and not who we are as a common people.

This is a Department that is out of control, going rogue, and needs to be reined in. These are not isolated incidents. They are the result of unchecked power and a complete lack of accountability.

Last night, I offered commonsense amendments to impose basic constitutional guardrails: accountability for abuse, due process protections, and civil recourse when rights are violated. Republicans refused to even consider them.

Without these amendments, this bill gives DHS and ICE free rein to operate unchecked and unaccountable while Republicans in this body continue to look the other way.

The American people deserve better. They deserve safety without fear, enforcement without lawlessness, and a government that follows the Constitution.

Mr. Speaker, until the Department of Homeland Security is willing to operate within the rule of law, I cannot support continued funding without meaningful reform. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

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