Stephen Miller ‘working closely’ with Trump allies in the Senate against attempts to rein in ICE: report
Stephen Miller is “working closely” with President Donald Trump’s allies in the Senate to resist Democratic attempts to rein in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a new report.
Among these Republicans, there’s a strong belief that immigration remains one of Trump’s most salient political issues — and that giving ground to Democrats would be a mistake.
“We’re now going on offense,” South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham told The Hill.
“President Trump sent [border czar] Tom Homan to Minnesota to turn down the heat,” he added. “That was a good decision. But the idea that we’re going to abandon the campaign promises of President Trump on immigration is not accurate.”
Graham said the Senate will vote next week on his proposal to allow criminal penalties to be brought against local and state officials who refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents.
“Stephen Miller helped orchestrate that with me,” the South Carolina lawmaker said.
Miller — Trump’s 40-year-old deputy chief of staff — is one of the most powerful officials in the White House. He masterminded much of the administration’s immigration agenda, including the policy of deporting immigrants to a prison in El Salvador.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Independent about Miller’s involvement.
The Republican push to recapture the narrative on immigration comes at a critical juncture for the administration. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire on Friday — and many Democrats appear ready to shut the agency down unless several reforms are enacted.
Last week, Democrats in Congress sent a letter to their GOP counterparts, outlining their demands that they say must be met for them to support a funding bill. Among the requests are that all immigration agents wear body cameras and IDs — and that they be prohibited from wearing masks.
On Monday, GOP lawmakers put forward a counterproposal, and they are awaiting a response from Democrats. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said that negotiators are making “progress” on a funding deal.
Another GOP senator going on the offensive is Missouri’s Eric Schmitt, who is pushing for a reform package that would increase penalties on immigrants who enter the country illegally.
“I think Democrats probably underestimated our resolve to push back on their ridiculous demands. What they’re proposing effectively kneecaps ICE’s ability to do their jobs and creates de facto amnesty for 15 [million] to 20 million people who came here illegally, because you wouldn’t be able to process deportations and get people out,” Schmitt told The Hill.
“We’re not doing that,” he added.
Yet, while Republicans move to retake control of the immigration debate, President Trump’s enforcement crackdown is facing mounting scrutiny from lawmakers and the broader public.
During an oversight hearing on Tuesday, Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee grilled the heads of ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. They zeroed in on recent enforcement operations in Minnesota — which led to the deaths of two people: Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
“This hearing is just the start of a reckoning of the Trump administration and its weaponization of DHS against American citizens,” Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, said. “DHS must be held accountable,” he added.
Rep. LaMonica McIver, a New Jersey Democrat, embraced more fiery rhetoric, asking Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, whether he believes he is “going to hell.”
Meanwhile, Republicans on the committee applauded the actions of federal immigration agents and accused Democratic officials at the state and local levels of refusing to cooperate.
Recent polling indicates that many Americans have concerns about the administration’s immigration enforcement actions.
According to a February Quinnipiac University survey, 63 percent of Americans disapprove of the way ICE is enforcing immigration laws, while 34 percent approve. Similarly, a January Siena College poll found that 61 percent of Americans believe the tactics employed by ICE have gone too far.
