‘I Failed’: House Democrat Who Voted To Fund ICE Publicly Apologizes

New York Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi expressed regret Monday after crossing party lines to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last week.

Suozzi, a centrist Democrat representing a House district that President Donald Trump won in 2024, apologized for voting Thursday to fund federal immigration enforcement following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday. The New York lawmaker was just one of seven House Democrats who resisted party leadership to support the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill funding ICE, Border Patrol and many other department agencies in a 210-207 vote. (RELATED: “WHERE IS THE LOCAL PD?”: Anti-ICE Rioters Violently Attack Minneapolis Hotel)

“I did not view the DHS defunding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis,” Suozzi said in a statement posted on social media. “I hear my constituents’ anger and I take responsibility for it. I have long been a critic of ICE’s illegal behavior and I need to do a better job of demonstrating it.”

The DHS spending bill would fund the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for the remainder of the fiscal year. The legislation also kept ICE funding at $10 billion and allocated $18 billion for Customs and Border Protection.

Republicans — and some Democrats — have pointed out that failing to pass the DHS bill would further harm non-immigration agencies, while ICE could continue operations thanks to a $75 billion infusion the agency received as part of Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

“If we allow a funding disruption, TSA officers will be forced to work without pay, FEMA assistance could be delayed, and the U.S. Coast Guard will be affected,” Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro said in a statement.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team notably did not push their members to vote against the DHS funding bill.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 8: U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during a press conference following a vote on health care subsidies at the U.S. Capitol on January 8, 2026 in Washington, DC (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Democratic lawmakers sharply criticized ICE after Pretti’s death, which was the second killing of a U.S. citizen by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in January.

New York Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen, who also voted to defund ICE over X, threw her support behind efforts to impeach DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Sunday following Pretti’s killing. Gillen, who narrowly defeated a Republican incumbent in 2024, represents a swing seat on Long Island, bordering Suozzi’s district.

Both Suozzi and Gillen previously voted for the Laken Riley Act – legislation that supported Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Both lawmakers also supported a resolution thanking ICE agents in part in June 2025.

The two Long Island Democrats also distanced themselves from Zohran Mamdani, then a candidate for New York City mayor, in the run-up to last November’s general election.

Texas Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, one of seven House Democrats who voted to defund ICE, said Monday he stands by his vote.

“It wasn’t to defund ICE,” said Gonzalez, who represents a border district that supported Trump. “But what I was voting for was ensuring that our agencies, our federal agencies here in South Texas, are funded.”

“We could lose FEMA funding if there is a freeze,” Gonzalez continued.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has pledged to block all funding for ICE, raising the prospect of a partial government shutdown before the Jan. 30 funding deadline. Senate Republicans said they would advance the House-passed appropriations package, including funding for ICE.

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free to any legitimate news publisher capable of delivering a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and DCNF affiliation. For questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact licenses@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.