The Democrat about to control ICE's purse strings says no to 'defund ICE': 'We just can't open up the border'

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who is in line to chair the House subcommittee that funds Homeland Security, says Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not going anywhere, even as more than a dozen newly elected or reelected progressive Democrats campaigned on "Abolish ICE," Fox News Digital reports.

"I don't believe in defunding ICE and I think the majority of the Democrats do not believe defunding ICE," Cuellar said, though he added that "serious rail guards" are needed on the agency.

Cuellar, whose district includes Laredo, also warned his party against going back to the Biden administration's border policies. "We just can't open up the border and just say anybody that wants to claim asylum can come to the borders. That policy under Biden administration — I hope that every Democrat running for national office doesn't do that anymore," he said.

He said the new Democratic Socialists in Congress are just "one part of the spectrum" and that there are many "blue dogs" like him who back strong border policies. Cuellar is now the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and is poised to become its chairman when Democrats take the House in January, which would give him major say over how ICE is funded.

Cuellar has broken with his party on enforcement before, voting with Republicans in January for a DHS funding bill with billions for ICE, though he has also criticized some of the agency's tactics and called for more oversight.