A sitting member of Congress just filed a bill to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, jolting the border and public-safety debate into overdrive.
Story Snapshot
- Rep. Delia Ramirez’s “Reimagining Safety Act” would dismantle Homeland Security, abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol, and create a new Department of Community Safety.
- The bill would keep disaster relief, cybersecurity, transportation security, and customs functions, while moving immigration to a more civil system.
- Illinois’ state commission cited alleged abuses by federal agents during “Operation Midway Blitz,” fueling calls for change.
- Homeland Security leaders and some Republicans say the plan would weaken national security and drug interdiction.
What the Ramirez Bill Would Do
Representative Delia Ramirez introduced the Reimagining Safety Act to dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and end Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. The plan would create a Department of Community Safety. It would keep the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, and customs functions. It would limit federal surveillance tools and shift immigration enforcement toward a civil process focused on communities.
Ramirez’s office describes a defined structure. The bill would repeal core authorities that now power Homeland Security. It would reassign missions so that disaster response, cyber defense, airport screening, and customs inspections continue. It would remove immigration detention and deportation from Homeland Security. Supporters say this change would protect health and civil rights and reduce harms they link to current practices. The text frames safety as a shared community goal rather than a policing-first model.
Why This Push Emerged Now
Illinois set up a state commission to investigate “Operation Midway Blitz,” a federal sweep in the Chicago area. The commission’s final report said it built a public record on alleged misconduct by federal agents, after months of hearings and document review. The panel referred matters to law enforcement and urged policy changes. Backers of the Ramirez bill cite this record as proof that the system is broken and needs a reset.
The commission’s site says the purpose was to document conduct by federal agents during the operation and related actions. It lists investigation briefs and findings and notes the effort was housed within the Illinois Department of Human Rights. State leaders framed the work as a path to accountability and reform. Critics of current federal tactics use this report to argue that safety should not come at the cost of civil rights.
What Opponents Are Warning About
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the department’s 270,000 employees keep Americans safe and blasted the bill as an attempt to defund law enforcement. A department spokesperson said agents remove dangerous criminals from communities. Representative Brandon Gill warned that shutting down Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol during threats from cartels, terrorists, and hostile regimes would be “dangerously naive”.
Gill linked border screening at ports of entry to drug seizures, especially fentanyl, and said removing these capacities would create a “free-for-all.” News reporting also quoted a homeland-security analyst who argued that moving or ending agencies does not erase duties. The government would still need to secure borders, enforce immigration laws, respond to disasters, defend cyberspace, and fight terrorism, regardless of the organizational chart.
How We Got Here: A Long Pattern of Reorganization
Congress has rebuilt immigration enforcement before. In 2003, lawmakers abolished the Immigration and Naturalization Service and split its functions among U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Border Patrol inside the new Department of Homeland Security. Leaders said the change would separate services from enforcement and improve coordination after the September 11 attacks.
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) has introduced the Reimagining Safety Act, a bill that would eliminate the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
My colleague @AshleeMBanks and I take a closer look at the proposal and the…
— Sinead R. Hawkins (@SineadRHawkins1) October 14, 2026
This history matters because it shows that structure changes can be sweeping yet still carry forward the same missions. Past reorganizations moved people, contracts, and authorities, but did not end core tasks. Today’s debate is not only about whether these agencies should exist. It is also about who should hold these powers, what checks should apply, and whether moving them will fix the problems or just move them somewhere else.
What It Means for Voters Who Feel the System Is Failing
Americans across the spectrum are tired of a system that seems to protect the powerful and miss daily problems. Supporters of the bill see a chance to curb abuses and rebuild trust with a community-first design. Opponents see a risk to public safety, wage security, and drug enforcement if screening and removals drop. Both sides agree on one thing: the status quo is not working. The core test is whether any change can deliver safety with liberty, not slogans.
Sources:
redstate.com, ramirez.house.gov, ilac.illinois.gov, illinois.gov, govinfo.gov, knewz.com, theblaze.com, commondreams.org, menafn.com, migrationpolicy.org
