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A Statement From Tom — 1/26/26

“I failed to view the DHS funding vote as a referendum on the illegal and immoral conduct of ICE in Minneapolis. I hear the anger from many of my constituents, and I take responsibility for that. I have long been critical of ICE’s unlawful behavior and I must do a better job demonstrating that.

The senseless and tragic murder of Alex Pretti underscores what happens when untrained federal agents operate without accountability. President Trump must immediately end “Operation Metro Surge” and ICE’s occupation of Minneapolis that has sown chaos, led to tragedy, and undermined experienced local law enforcement.”

—Congressman Tom Suozzi (NY-3)

Please read a letter that Tom’s congressional office had previously sent constituents on this matter.

Dear Friend,

I received your message about your disappointment with my vote to fund the Department of Homeland Security. First and foremost, I want you to know that I hear you and understand your concerns.

I ask that my vote not be mistaken for support of ICE’s or this Administration’s wrongful behavior.

Every day—here in New York, in Washington, and in conversations with friends and neighbors—I hear the profound exhaustion, anger, and frustration felt in response to some of the actions by the Trump administration, and especially ICE. Those concerns come through loudly and clearly. I read much of the same news as you do. I see the same videos.

The tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis was a watershed moment in our nation’s history. This incident dramatically portrays the failure of ICE’s escalatory tactics, and the chaotic environment they created led directly to Ms. Good’s death.

There must be a full, transparent investigation, with collaboration between federal and local officials. Anything less is unacceptable.

In addition, many of the actions by some ICE agents have gone beyond the bounds of legally or morally acceptable behavior. We have seen masked agents aggressively and at times violently confront people, including American citizens and individuals who are lawfully present in this country. Often there are no questions asked and no execution of a lawful warrant.

As a former Mayor and County Executive, I oversaw the 11th largest police department in the country, and I have worked closely with large law enforcement departments throughout my entire career. That’s how I know it’s possible to enforce the law, keep people safe, and hold bad actors accountable, as most law enforcement officers do, without creating chaos.

It’s been made clear, over the last few months, that ICE has fallen short. They’ve violated the basic tenets of community policing that local law enforcement officers work hard to uphold. Instead of building trust in the communities they protect, masked ICE agents have been deployed in our neighborhoods wearing combat equipment meant to intimidate, as we have seen play out in Minneapolis, Chicago, and elsewhere. Local police train for a minimum of six months and often years for high pressure situations, while ICE officers have been rushed through the system, many receiving only 47 days of training before being deployed to our communities.

Police are devoted to upholding the law, both because that’s how they’re trained and because successful enforcement depends on it. While it would be inappropriate to paint each ICE agent with the same brush, ICE, as an agency and its current leadership, are not operating with sufficient transparency, accountability, and respect for due process.

Much of what we’ve seen wouldn’t meet the standards of any police department in the country. It isn’t how the United States of America enforces its laws.

I am aware that you and others are disappointed with my recent vote for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill, especially in light of what I described above, and I understand why. However, this bill did not “increase funding for ICE.”

As Newsday reported, “the bill reduces funding for ICE and removal operations by $115 million, while keeping the overall budget for the agency flat at about $10 billion. It also reduces the number of ICE detention beds by 5,500 and cuts Border Patrol funding by $1.8 billion.” The New York Times reported, “a bipartisan group of appropriators in both the House and Senate… agreed to reduce funding for the office of Secretary Kristi Noem by $29.5 million,” and to “require DHS to detail how it is spending the $190 billion Republicans allocated to it in their marquee domestic policy bill, which included $75 billion for ICE.” That so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the hyper-partisan package signed into law in July that I opposed, locked in continuous ICE funding for seven years—whether or not the DHS appropriations bill passed. Again, I voted against that bill, and against that ICE funding.

In fact, if the government were to shut down over the DHS funding bill, it would empower ICE, not hold them back. That’s because multi-year funding allocated to ICE in the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would enable ICE to continue mass deportation operations, just as they did during the last shutdown, without any of the restrictions in the DHS funding bill. In other words, ICE could be WORSE without the passage of this bill. Meanwhile, other agencies—including FEMA, TSA, the Coast Guard, passport/visa processing, and others—would have to furlough employees and reduce operations.

Thank you again for reaching out. I share your concerns with ICE, and I want to rein them in. I believe my vote was the best way to begin that process, and I acknowledge that we have to do much more to bring compassion and common sense back. There is too much pain, too much heartache, and too much injustice. As Americans, we can forge a better way forward.

It is a great honor and responsibility to serve as your member in the United States Congress. There are undoubtedly votes I’ve taken or will take in the future that you will disagree with. I hope you continue to tell me so, and please know that I will continue to listen.

Sincerely,
Thomas R. Suozzi
Member of Congress