Dem Rep. Smith: Both Sides Want to Fund TSA, Coast Guard, FEMA, But Dems Don’t Want to Fund ICE

March 16, 2026
11:20 pm

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Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) dropped a bombshell on CNN's News Central Monday, admitting what many conservatives have long suspected: Democrats are perfectly fine bankrolling the TSA's pat-downs, the Coast Guard's maritime patrols, and FEMA's disaster response—but when it comes to funding ICE, the agency tasked with enforcing immigration laws and securing the border, they draw a hard line. Smith's words cut off mid-sentence in the clip, but the implication is crystal clear: What we don’t want to fund is anything that might actually deter illegal crossings, cartel smuggling, or the influx of unvetted migrants pouring into communities nationwide. This isn't just partisan sniping; it's a raw confession from a ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, exposing the selective priorities of the left's spending sprees. For the 2A community, this revelation hits like a chambered round. ICE isn't just about deportations—it's a frontline defender against the very threats that justify our Second Amendment rights: violent gangs like MS-13, fentanyl traffickers arming themselves with smuggled guns, and potential terrorists slipping through porous borders. When Dems starve ICE while fattening TSA (which already treats law-abiding gun owners like suspects at airports), they're prioritizing theater security over real border sovereignty. Remember, the same open-border policies have correlated with spikes in crimes involving illegally obtained firearms—ATF data shows trafficked guns from Mexico fueling urban violence. Smith's stance signals that Democrats view ICE as a political football, not a national security imperative, potentially leaving states and armed citizens to pick up the slack in self-defense. The implications for gun rights advocates are stark: a weakened ICE means more unchecked inflows of criminals who don't respect borders or laws, heightening the risks that Second Amendment protections are designed to counter. It's no coincidence that blue states with sanctuary policies often push the hardest for gun control—diluting enforcement at the border creates the chaos they then exploit to demand we surrender our means of protection. 2A supporters should amplify this clip far and wide, demanding Congress fund ICE fully or risk voters connecting the dots come election time. If Dems won't secure the border, the armed citizenry remains our last line of defense.

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Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) dropped a bombshell on CNN’s News Central Monday, admitting what many conservatives have long suspected: Democrats are perfectly fine bankrolling the TSA’s pat-downs, the Coast Guard’s maritime patrols, and FEMA’s disaster response—but when it comes to funding ICE, the agency tasked with enforcing immigration laws and securing the border, they draw a hard line. Smith’s words cut off mid-sentence in the clip, but the implication is crystal clear: What we don’t want to fund is anything that might actually deter illegal crossings, cartel smuggling, or the influx of unvetted migrants pouring into communities nationwide. This isn’t just partisan sniping; it’s a raw confession from a ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, exposing the selective priorities of the left’s spending sprees.

For the 2A community, this revelation hits like a chambered round. ICE isn’t just about deportations—it’s a frontline defender against the very threats that justify our Second Amendment rights: violent gangs like MS-13, fentanyl traffickers arming themselves with smuggled guns, and potential terrorists slipping through porous borders. When Dems starve ICE while fattening TSA (which already treats law-abiding gun owners like suspects at airports), they’re prioritizing theater security over real border sovereignty. Remember, the same open-border policies have correlated with spikes in crimes involving illegally obtained firearms—ATF data shows trafficked guns from Mexico fueling urban violence. Smith’s stance signals that Democrats view ICE as a political football, not a national security imperative, potentially leaving states and armed citizens to pick up the slack in self-defense.

The implications for gun rights advocates are stark: a weakened ICE means more unchecked inflows of criminals who don’t respect borders or laws, heightening the risks that Second Amendment protections are designed to counter. It’s no coincidence that blue states with sanctuary policies often push the hardest for gun control—diluting enforcement at the border creates the chaos they then exploit to demand we surrender our means of protection. 2A supporters should amplify this clip far and wide, demanding Congress fund ICE fully or risk voters connecting the dots come election time. If Dems won’t secure the border, the armed citizenry remains our last line of defense.

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