# Sen. Tina Smith Draws a Line on ICE Funding—But Where’s Her Outrage for ATF Overreach?
In a eyebrow-raising segment on MS-NOW’s The Weeknight, Minnesota Democrat Sen. Tina Smith declared she couldn’t stomach voting to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) because their actions are illegal. Yes, you read that right—the same senator who’s been mum on federal agencies like the ATF running roughshod over the Second Amendment is suddenly a stickler for legality when it comes to border enforcement. Smith’s stance comes amid ongoing debates over ICE’s role in deporting criminal aliens, a job that’s squarely within their congressional mandate under laws like 8 U.S.C. § 1324. Calling routine enforcement illegal isn’t just rhetoric; it’s a blatant attempt to defund and dismantle an agency that’s seized billions in fentanyl and nabbed thousands of sex offenders—actions that keep American communities safer, including gun owners who value law and order.
For the 2A community, this hypocrisy is a flashing red light. Smith and her progressive allies have zero qualms bankrolling the ATF’s endless war on firearms, from the pistol brace rule that slapped millions of law-abiding owners with felony threats to the zero tolerance reclassification of popular rifles under the guise of public safety. Remember, the ATF’s actions—often struck down in court as unconstitutional—have been deemed illegal by federal judges time and again, yet Democrats like Smith vote to supercharge their budget. If ICE’s statutorily authorized deportations are too illegal for funding, why the blank check for ATF’s extralegal gun grabs? This selective outrage exposes the real agenda: weaken enforcement against open borders while turbocharging the deep state’s assault on our rights. It’s a dangerous double standard that could embolden further encroachments on the Second Amendment, painting law-abiding gun owners as the enemy while cartels flood in unchecked.
The implications for 2A patriots are clear: in an election year, call out this nonsense. Support candidates who back ICE’s vital mission and rein in rogue agencies like the ATF. Smith’s ICE defunding push isn’t about justice—it’s about politics that erode the rule of law we all rely on to protect our constitutional carry rights. Stay vigilant; our freedoms hang in the balance.
