Fetterman Outrages Democrats Again With Statement About ICE
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) expressed support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations targeting illegal immigrants accused of child sex crimes, while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) went further, calling for the death penalty for those offenders.
In a press release issued Monday, ICE announced that it had “arrested 214 illegal aliens for immigration offenses in the Houston area in the past six months who have been charged or convicted of a sex offense involving a minor.” Responding to the report in a post on X, Fetterman wrote, “I don’t support or agree with all of ICE’s tactics or actions. I do fully support moves like these. This makes our nation more secure and all our children safer.”
Luna reacted more forcefully, posting on X, “Skip deportation. Go directly to the death penalty. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.”
According to ICE, one of the individuals arrested was Jose Guadalupe Meza, a 40-year-old Mexican national who had been deported four times previously. ICE stated that Meza had been convicted of theft and sexual assault of a child. He was arrested on June 24 and removed to Mexico the following day.
The arrests come as the Trump administration intensifies its focus on border security and immigration enforcement. Fetterman has previously defended ICE’s role, calling proposals to abolish the agency “inappropriate” and “outrageous.” However, he also joined fellow Democrats in opposing the so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill,” legislation that would allocate tens of billions of dollars in additional funding for ICE operations and complete construction of the border wall begun during Trump’s first term.
“Bringing together the resources and expertise of the entire federal law enforcement community to confront the overwhelming surge of illegal immigration that we saw over the past four years has resulted in the arrest and removal of historic numbers of violent criminal aliens, transnational gang members and child sex offenders,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director Paul McBride.
Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced criticism from local Texas officials following deadly flooding across the state during the July 4 holiday. Recently released city correspondence from Kerrville, obtained through public records requests, suggested that officials were largely unprepared for the disaster.
Among the messages was a text exchange involving Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice. Hours before a July 5 press conference with federal, state, and local officials, a city employee texted Rice, “Just saw you met Homeland Barbie. How is she?” Rice responded, “Basically Homeland Barbie,” followed by laughing emojis. The nickname, along with similar labels like “ICE Barbie,” has circulated online since Noem’s appointment earlier this year, and the exchange drew attention given the seriousness of the unfolding disaster.
Democrats were particularly critical of the federal response. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy argued that the Trump administration weakened FEMA’s preparedness by firing employees while flood victims were seeking assistance, though he stopped short of blaming Noem directly for the flooding.
Earlier this month, Noem pushed back against claims of delayed federal action during an appearance on Fox News Sunday. After consulting with Texas officials, she said, more than 700 FEMA personnel were deployed within hours. She also noted that the Coast Guard was mobilized immediately following those discussions, emphasizing that the federal response moved quickly once the severity of the situation became clear.