Rep. Delia Ramirez wants to abolish the Border Patrol and tear down the entire Department of Homeland Security. This is not a small tweak to immigration rules but a total rewrite of federal safety. She formally introduced the Reimagining Safety Act on Tuesday to replace the current system with a new agency called the Department of Community Safety.
The plan would eliminate Customs and Border Protection and stop all border wall construction immediately. Ankle monitors would come off, and federal detention contracts would be canceled within six months. According to RedState, Ramirez contends that the existing department has transformed into a danger to the very communities it was designed to safeguard.
This proposal would release immigrants held in federal custody within just six months of the bill passing. It would shut down the Border Patrol’s surveillance tower program and end all current detention programs. Ramirez’s office issued a statement blaming the department for deaths in custody and alleged abuses of federal authority.
She listed specific failures including every family separated and every community FEMA failed. The statement asserts that over a million reasons exist for taking action today. This is a direct challenge to the current enforcement structure that keeps our borders secure.
Under her plan, the new department would keep FEMA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. The Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard would move to the Transportation Department instead. Customs and trade duties would be taken on by Treasury, whereas specific immigration roles would move to the Justice Department.
Ramirez calls this dismantling a “revolutionary act” and declares that “a different world is possible.” She stated in her announcement that building something new in a time of destruction is a revolutionary act. It is still unclear what becomes of the Border Patrol’s current enforcement duties should the agency cease to exist.
When Ramirez revealed the plan in September, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin dismissed it. He upheld the department’s approximately 270,000 staff members and charged her with prioritizing illegal immigrants over American citizens. “It’s NEVER going to happen,” Mullin declared.
The legislative battle is now joined as Ramirez pushes for a complete overhaul of national security. Voters must decide if this radical change serves their families or undermines the rule of law. The clock is ticking on the midterm election, and this issue will define the debate.
