House Democrat introduces bill to abolish DHS and eliminate ICE

Oct 13, 2026

Representative Delia Ramirez introduced the Reimagining Safety Act on October 13, 2026, proposing to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and abolish ICE and CBP. The legislation follows an ICE shooting of Oscar Belgal in New York and a federal raid on Representative Ilhan Omar's home. It faces strong opposition from DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Republicans, while highlighting deep political divisions ahead of the midterm elections.

Introduction of the Reimagining Safety Act

▪Representative Delia Ramirez introduced the Reimagining Safety Act on October 13, 2026, to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement
▪Representatives Rashida Tlaib, Adelita Grijalva, and Jim McGovern joined Representative Delia Ramirez as original cosponsors of the Reimagining Safety Act

Proposed agency restructuring under the act

▪Under Rep. Delia Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act, civil immigration enforcement would transfer to the Department of Justice, customs to Treasury, and the Coast Guard and TSA to Transportation
▪The Reimagining Safety Act proposes replacing the Department of Homeland Security with a new Department of Community Safety to oversee the Federal Emergency Management Agency and cybersecurity

Proposed Immigration and security reforms

▪Rep. Delia Ramirez's proposed Reimagining Safety Act would eliminate Customs and Border Protection, release all detained immigrants within six months, and mandate ending all immigration detention contracts
▪Rep. Delia Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act requires removing all ankle monitors from immigrants, halting border wall funding starting in fiscal year 2027, and closing Guantánamo Bay within 60 days
▪Rep. Delia Ramirez's Reimagining Safety Act would repeal post-9/11 terrorism laws, restrict no-fly list additions without warrants or convictions, and limit foreign terrorist designations

ICE custody deaths and bill justification

▪Representative Delia Ramirez cited deaths in detention and family separations as explicit justifications for dismantling the Department of Homeland Security
▪At least 28 people died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during 2026 as of early October, according to the National Immigration Project

DHS response to abolition proposals

▪A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that aggressive political rhetoric against ICE agents contributed to a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against DHS law enforcement personnel
▪Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the agency's 270,000 employees and criticized Rep. Delia Ramirez's proposal calls to defund DHS and abolish ICE

Shootings by federal immigration agents

▪An ICE agent shot 28-year-old Oscar Belgal in the neck inside his car in New York City on October 8, 2026, while Belgal's 5-year-old child was in the backseat
▪Representative Delia Ramirez marched with protesters in Minneapolis after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens during an immigration operation in January 2026
▪Federal immigration agents shot at least 25 people in the past year leading up to October 2026, resulting in six fatal shootings

Federal search of Representative Ilhan Omar's home

▪Representative Ilhan Omar's spokesperson Jackie Rogers described the October 12, 2026 search of Omar's home by Homeland Security Investigations agents as an unprecedented weaponization of federal law enforcement against political enemies
▪Border czar Tom Homan stated that federal agents presented evidence to a D.C. court judge who signed off on the October 12, 2026 search warrant for Representative Ilhan Omar's home
▪Homeland Security Investigations agents searched the Washington, D.C. home of Representative Ilhan Omar on October 12, 2026, as part of a federal criminal investigation

Federal actions against Palestinian advocates

▪The Department of Treasury sanctioned U.K.-based Palestine Action as a foreign terrorist organization in August 2026, freezing its U.S. assets
▪In 2025, the State Department attempted to revoke the visas of several students who protested regarding Palestine, citing alleged material support for Hamas

Public opinion on immigration

▪An AP-NORC poll released on October 1, 2026, showed that 39 percent of Americans approved of President Donald Trump's handling of immigration
▪A January Economist/YouGov poll found that more Americans supported abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement than opposed it, 46 percent to 43 percent