Murphy on Substack: My Trip To Texas Confirmed We Can't Fund This Version Of ICE

WASHINGTON-U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, on Friday published a Substack post detailing the horrors he observed while visiting the San Antonio immigration court, and calling on his congressional colleagues to take decisive action to end ICE's lawless abuse and impunity. Murphy was in Texas this past week to conduct congressional oversight of ICE detention facilities in Dilley, and Pearsall, Texas, but was illegally denied access by DHS officials.

"What I saw in Texas was utter lawlessness: an agency out of control, making up its own law - with no respect for the actual law or the Constitution," Murphy wrote. "DHS is terrorizing children and families because it can. They act like they are unaccountable. This is the same story in Minneapolis (and soon in other cities). Trump is constructing a personal political police force, as fast as he can. He is looking to create confrontations and chaos - especially in swing states - as a possible pretext for something more sinister: the takeover of state elections. ICE is, potentially, his gateway to rig the 2026 election."

Murphy exposed DHS' real on-the-ground targets: "Families who are complying with the law come to this court. These are not 'illegal immigrants.' These are people who are doing it the right way: showing up for court dates and making the legal case for asylum protection. Trump's ICE is making a mockery of the process because no matter how meritorious the immigrant's claim is, most get rounded up and put in detention as soon as they walk out of the courtroom."

He offered specific examples of ICE systematically disregarding the law in their enforcement decisions: "It didn't matter that [a couple involved in an immigration proceeding] had played by the rules. They came to America to follow the process and apply for asylum. They had a good case. They showed up for all their court appearances. And on this day, the judge didn't order their detainment or removal: he saw merit in their case and scheduled their next hearing. But the ICE officers didn't care. They were under orders from President Donald Trump to put in jail EVERY immigrant they could, including children. And no matter the legal status of the family or individual."

Murphy also listed the myriad ways Trump is denying the right to due process and bending the rule of law:

• "Trump kicked the local legal aid group out of the San Antonio courthouse and gave the "pro bono attorney" room (it's still got that sign hanging outside) to ICE to use as their interrogation room.

• An immigration judge was fired the night before I arrived, because she insisted on implementing the law and not ruling against every single immigrant applicant - a clear threat to any judge who is foolish enough to follow the law.

• The ICE officers at the courthouse (who I give credit to for speaking to me) admitted they don't target criminals; they are looking to lock up EVERYONE, even legal immigrants.

• A giant ICE bus sits outside the courthouse each day, waiting to be loaded with immigrants.

• The prison many get sent to - Pearsall Detention Center - has 1800 detainees and 4 rooms for legal consultations, basically guaranteeing most migrants never see a lawyer before the expedited fake legal process inside the jail results in their deportation. It's not detention - it's effectively a campaign of DISAPPEARANCES."

Urging his colleagues in Congress to refuse funding a Department of Homeland Security behaving with such brazen lawlessness, Murphy concluded: "Trump's DHS acts with impunity in places like San Antonio and Minneapolis because it believes Congress will keep giving it blank checks. We should not… Democrats have no obligation to vote for a budget that funds a runaway, immoral agency just because Republicans are so beholden to Trump, they refuse to agree to any reforms. We shouldn't pretend we are powerless; we aren't. We should demand that SOME reforms be built into the DHS budget before we vote for it."