A sitting U.S. congresswoman whose parents entered the country illegally is now calling for the complete dismantling of America’s immigration enforcement agencies, demanding that $150 billion be redirected away from border security and toward illegal migrants instead.
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) made the stunning declaration in Spanish at a recent event alongside pro-migrant activists, illegal immigrants, Islamic advocates, and other far-left Democrats.
“We are going to completely defund and strip authority from ICE and CBP which keep lists of you,” Ramirez declared to the crowd. She went further, proposing the creation of a “Department of Community Safety” that would take immigration out of the hands of the Department of Homeland Security entirely.
“Immigration will no longer be handled by the department which likes to call immigrants terrorists when it wants to attack them,” Ramirez said in Spanish. “Our people will no longer have to live with the fear of this system.”
The congresswoman’s repeated references to “our people” and her use of Spanish throughout the event drew sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers who questioned her allegiance to American citizens.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) fired back on social media, arguing Ramirez “shows exactly why it’s time to end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal aliens: it can empower those with no loyalty to America to dismantle it from within.”
Ramirez responded defiantly: “It’s called Latina Power, Brandon!”
“I believe in American Power,” Gill replied. He didn’t hold back, noting that Ramirez’s parents “were illegal aliens who showed no regard for our nation or its laws when they came here. You should be beyond grateful that a legal loophole allowed you to enjoy the fruits of a first world nation.”
Gill continued: “You have no love or appreciation for America because, at the end of the day, you still proudly consider yourself a Guatemalan before you are a citizen of America.”
That assessment appears accurate. In August 2025, Ramirez publicly declared, “I’m a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American.”
Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) also condemned Ramirez’s proposal.
The event notably lacked representation from African Americans, though it did include an organizer of Latinos employed in Chicago-area warehouses. Attendees’ names were given Spanish pronunciations throughout.
Ramirez’s radical proposal mirrors efforts already underway in some Democrat-controlled cities. In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has created an Office of Community Safety designed to shield the city’s large illegal immigrant population from President Donald Trump’s deportation mandate. That policy protects migrants who critics say cut American wages while drawing welfare benefits.
Not all Democrats have embraced the abolish-ICE movement publicly. Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) offered a softer version of the message Wednesday, saying officials need to “look at DHS and actually turn it into a real immigration force that we want, that’s getting rid of the bad migrants, and it’s helping keep the good migrants in.”
