WASHINGTON — Rep. Delia Ramirez, a left-wing House Democrat, is calling for the abolition of the Department of Homeland Security after federal agents conducted a dawn raid Monday at the Washington, DC, home of “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar.
Ramirez’s “Reimagining Safety Act” would also halt all immigration detentions in the United States. The proposal follows last week’s shooting of Oscar Belgal by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Bronx.
“Just this week, our communities were reminded that DHS is a weapon: pointed at a father shot in front of his 5-year-old and at Congresswoman Omar, who is using her voice to demand an end to fascism,” Ramirez, D-Ill., said in a statement to The Intercept.
“It is clear that now is the time to reimagine our safety, dismantle DHS, abolish ICE, and end the use of broad authorities to circumvent our rights and due process.”
The Department of Homeland Security was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as part of a sweeping overhaul intended to improve intelligence sharing and streamline the federal government’s domestic security operations.
During the 2026 midterm election cycle, Democratic candidates in primaries nationwide have advocated abolishing ICE in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
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On Monday, agents with DHS’ Homeland Security Investigations agency raided Omar’s home in Washington, DC, as part of a yearslong criminal investigation into the Somalia-born congresswoman’s immigration paperwork.
Border czar Tom Homan told Fox News on Monday that federal agents presented evidence to a DC court to secure a search warrant for the sitting congresswoman’s residence. A federal judge approved the warrant, Homan said.
Omar has said she is being targeted through a politicized weaponization of the justice system. Republicans have repeatedly questioned her immigration history and her husband’s net worth.
Under the Reimagining Safety Act, DHS would be replaced by a newly named Department of Community Safety, which would finance violence-intervention programs and other public safety initiatives, according to The Intercept.
The legislation would distribute several DHS responsibilities among other federal agencies. The Justice Department would assume immigration enforcement, the Treasury Department would oversee customs enforcement, and the Department of Transportation would take charge of the Coast Guard. The measure would also restrict the secretary of state’s authority to designate foreign terrorist organizations.
“DHS is not rogue,” Ramirez said. “For 23 years, since its inception, DHS has been utilized by the government to target and persecute those they consider the public enemy — whether it is Muslim-Americans, Haitians escaping violence, Latinos yearning for a better life, or dissenting voices.”
Ramirez’s bill faces steep odds in Congress. The House and Senate are both scheduled to remain on recess until after the Nov. 3 midterm elections.