Six Democrats who backed ICE funding win, testing party's next move

Six Democratic members of Congress who voted for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill that included money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were projected to keep their seats after Tuesday's midterm elections, according to Newsweek ¹. The results came as Democrats won control of both the House and Senate ¹²³.

The six are Don Davis of North Carolina, Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar of Texas, Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen of New York, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington ¹. Each defeated a Republican challenger, in some cases by wide margins ¹.

On tapeLiveNOW from FOX · Nov 4

▶4:31

Davis led Republican Laurie Buckhout by 10,305 votes in North Carolina's 1st District, with all 290 precincts reporting, according to unofficial state Board of Elections results ¹. Gonzalez won Texas' 34th District by 32,095 votes, and Cuellar won the 28th by 62,250, according to state and AP figures ¹. Suozzi won New York's 3rd by 27,173 votes and Gillen won the 4th by 35,975, while Gluesenkamp Perez was called as the winner in Washington's 3rd by 28,146, with counting continuing in Suozzi's race ¹.

The vote at issue came on January 22, when the House passed a DHS appropriations bill 220-207, with seven Democrats joining 213 Republicans ¹. The bill funded ICE along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration ¹. Four of the seven Democrats backed a similar measure on March 5; Gillen, Suozzi and Gonzalez voted against it ¹.

From Channel GOPJeffries: House Democrats have taken back CongressHakeem Jeffries · 138 plays · captioned, with the source named

Several of the Democrats said their votes were meant to protect agencies such as FEMA and the Coast Guard, not to endorse ICE's enforcement tactics ¹. Gonzalez said in a January 22 press release: "Congress has an obligation to fund federal agencies that provide essential public services and resources to all Americans" ¹. Davis said: "Strong, reliable support for disaster relief is non-negotiable" ¹. Cuellar said on the House floor the bill was "better than the alternatives of either funding the Department under a continuing resolution or shutting down the government" ¹.

Suozzi later said he regretted the vote, saying he had failed to see it would be read as a verdict on ICE's conduct in Minneapolis, where two U.S. citizens were shot to death by federal authorities in January ¹. The votes drew criticism from progressives who said the bill did not do enough to restrain the administration's immigration enforcement ¹.

Why the money is hard to take back

Democrats could pass legislation to restrict ICE funding when the new Congress takes office in January, but changing the agency's money is more complicated than rejecting an annual spending bill ¹. Congress already approved about $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for Customs and Border Protection in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025 ¹. A separate law, the Secure America Act, signed June 10, provided nearly $70 billion more for ICE, Customs and Border Protection and DHS, available through September 30, 2029 ¹.

To reclaim that money, Congress would have to pass legislation rescinding or limiting it ¹. Such a bill could clear the House with a simple majority, generally 218 votes when all seats are filled, but most legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster, and any measure would need the president's signature or a veto override ¹. Budget reconciliation can pass the Senate with a simple majority but is bound by strict budgetary rules ¹.

The January bill also did not become law as written: the Senate removed annual ICE and Border Patrol appropriations from the version Trump signed on April 30, though the agencies kept access to previously approved money ¹. That matters because blocking future annual funding would not by itself eliminate money Congress has already made available ¹.

The results leave the party split over how far to go. Some lawmakers argue DHS funding is needed to keep essential services running, while progressives want tighter limits on ICE and more accountability for its agents ¹. With Democrats set to control both chambers, the question of whether they will try to restrict or defund ICE now moves from the campaign trail to the legislative calendar ¹.

The Record

1. Jul 4, 2025President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which provided about $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for Customs and Border Protection ¹.
2. Jan 22, 2026The House passed a DHS appropriations bill 220-207, with seven Democrats joining 213 Republicans in favor ¹.
3. Mar 5, 2026Four of the seven Democrats again crossed party lines to support a similar DHS funding measure ¹.
4. Apr 30, 2026Trump signed a revised funding measure after the Senate removed annual appropriations for ICE and the Border Patrol ¹.

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>Six Democrats who backed ICE funding win, testing party&#39;s next move</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Capitol Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/six-democrats-who-backed-ice-funding-win-testing-party-s-next-move">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Six Democratic members of Congress who voted for a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill that included money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were projected to keep their seats after Tuesday&#39;s midterm elections, according to Newsweek . The results came as Democrats won control of both the House and Senate .</p> <p>The six are Don Davis of North Carolina, Vicente Gonzalez and Henry Cuellar of Texas, Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen of New York, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington . Each defeated a Republican challenger, in some cases by wide margins .</p> <p>Davis led Republican Laurie Buckhout by 10,305 votes in North Carolina&#39;s 1st District, with all 290 precincts reporting, according to unofficial state Board of Elections results . Gonzalez won Texas&#39; 34th District by 32,095 votes, and Cuellar won the 28th by 62,250, according to state and AP figures . Suozzi won New York&#39;s 3rd by 27,173 votes and Gillen won the 4th by 35,975, while Gluesenkamp Perez was called as the winner in Washington&#39;s 3rd by 28,146, with counting continuing in Suozzi&#39;s race .</p> <p>The vote at issue came on January 22, when the House passed a DHS appropriations bill 220-207, with seven Democrats joining 213 Republicans . The bill funded ICE along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration . Four of the seven Democrats backed a similar measure on March 5; Gillen, Suozzi and Gonzalez voted against it .</p> <p>Several of the Democrats said their votes were meant to protect agencies such as FEMA and the Coast Guard, not to endorse ICE&#39;s enforcement tactics . Gonzalez said in a January 22 press release: &quot;Congress has an obligation to fund federal agencies that provide essential public services and resources to all Americans&quot; . Davis said: &quot;Strong, reliable support for disaster relief is non-negotiable&quot; . Cuellar said on the House floor the bill was &quot;better than the alternatives of either funding the Department under a continuing resolution or shutting down the government&quot; .</p> <p>Suozzi later said he regretted the vote, saying he had failed to see it would be read as a verdict on ICE&#39;s conduct in Minneapolis, where two U.S. citizens were shot to death by federal authorities in January . The votes drew criticism from progressives who said the bill did not do enough to restrain the administration&#39;s immigration enforcement .</p> <h2>Why the money is hard to take back</h2> <p>Democrats could pass legislation to restrict ICE funding when the new Congress takes office in January, but changing the agency&#39;s money is more complicated than rejecting an annual spending bill . Congress already approved about $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for Customs and Border Protection in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025 . A separate law, the Secure America Act, signed June 10, provided nearly $70 billion more for ICE, Customs and Border Protection and DHS, available through September 30, 2029 .</p> <p>To reclaim that money, Congress would have to pass legislation rescinding or limiting it . Such a bill could clear the House with a simple majority, generally 218 votes when all seats are filled, but most legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate to overcome a filibuster, and any measure would need the president&#39;s signature or a veto override . Budget reconciliation can pass the Senate with a simple majority but is bound by strict budgetary rules .</p> <p>The January bill also did not become law as written: the Senate removed annual ICE and Border Patrol appropriations from the version Trump signed on April 30, though the agencies kept access to previously approved money . That matters because blocking future annual funding would not by itself eliminate money Congress has already made available .</p> <p>The results leave the party split over how far to go. Some lawmakers argue DHS funding is needed to keep essential services running, while progressives want tighter limits on ICE and more accountability for its agents . With Democrats set to control both chambers, the question of whether they will try to restrict or defund ICE now moves from the campaign trail to the legislative calendar .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/six-democrats-who-backed-ice-funding-win-testing-party-s-next-move">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/six-democrats-who-backed-ice-funding-win-testing-party-s-next-move.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. Newsweek, “Six Democrats Who Voted to Fund ICE Hold Off Republicans to Win” (2026-11-04). newsweek.com/six-democrats-who-voted-to-fund-ice-hold-off-re
2. PBS NewsHour, “Democrats win control of the U.S. House” (2026-11-04). pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-win-control-of-the-u-s-h
3. The Hill, “Democrats win Senate majority” (2026-11-04). thehill.com/homenews/senate/6185385-democrats-win-senate-mid
4. The Guardian, “What can Democrats actually do if they win Congress?” (2026-11-04). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/02/democrats-midterms-congr

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.