House Dem backs the idea of reining in DHS funding in wake of ICE-involved shooting in Minnesota

Rep. Julia Johnson, D-Texas, accused U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of “terrorizing Texans” and said that she thinks congressional Democrats should seek to rein in funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“Absolutely,” she replied when asked if she thought Congress, and specifically Democrats, should rein in DHS funding in light of the ICE-officer involved shooting in Minnesota. 

Johnson said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has shown “a lack of ability” to do a good job managing her budget. 

“She’s emphasizing the wrong things,” Johnson said. “She’s rewarding the wrong things. And we should absolutely use that to rein… this agency back in to where they’re doing the people’s work in a constitutional way.” 

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Fox News Digital emailed DHS for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Despite Johnson’s support for the idea of targeting DHS funding, Democrats are currently politically powerless to make such a move without bipartisan backing because the GOP holds the majority in both chambers of Congress.

It is a midterm election year, and Republicans will be vying to maintain their slim margin of control of both chambers of Congress come November.

Johnson’s comments came in the wake of a controversial shooting in Minneapolis where an ICE officer fatally shot a driver on Wednesday. According to DHS, the officer fired in self-defense after the woman stalked and attempted to ram agents.

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“Today, ICE officers in Minneapolis were conducting targeted operations when rioters began blocking ICE officers and one of these violent rioters weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them —an act of domestic terrorism,” DHS noted in a Wednesday post on X.

“An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots,” the post notes. “The alleged perpetrator was hit and is deceased.”

Fox News’ Dan Scully and Kelly Phares contributed to this report