Ramirez bill would replace DHS, ICE and CBP

U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Chicago Democrat, announced legislation Wednesday that would dismantle the Department of Homeland Security and replace it with a new Cabinet-level agency called the Department of Community Safety. The Reimagining Safety Act also would abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in their current forms.

How federal agencies would change

Ramirez said some agencies now housed within DHS should continue operating elsewhere in the federal government. She proposed moving the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard to the Department of Transportation.

The legislation would redirect DHS funding to programs including health care, housing, food assistance and other community services. Ramirez said early estimates indicate that at least billion would be reinvested in communities across the country.

DHS was established as a Cabinet department that includes agencies responsible for immigration enforcement, border operations, transportation security and Coast Guard functions. Ramirez’s bill would divide or replace those responsibilities rather than keep them together under DHS.

Opposition from DHS leadership

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin rejected the proposal. He said DHS and its 270,000 employees protect Americans and criticized Ramirez’s approach to immigration and border policy.

The disagreement centers on whether immigration enforcement and other safety functions should remain within DHS or be reorganized while federal money is shifted toward community programs. Ramirez’s legislation would require congressional action to make those changes; introducing a bill begins that process but does not change how the agencies currently operate.