ILLINOIS - Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski has called for major reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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Following a check presentation in Glen Carbon on Jan. 27, 2026, Budzinski spoke to the press about ICE and changes she wants to see as tensions rise in Minnesota. She noted that she has voted against additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
“ICE needs to leave Minneapolis,” Budzinski said.
She expressed her opinion that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and Lieutenant Commander Greg Bovina “should be terminated.” She said Bovina’s recent relocation is “not enough.”
“They’ve been telling ICE agents that they have immunity and they operate above the rule of law. None of us operate above the rule of law. Neither do any of them,” Budzinski said. “We need to see accountability.”
As part of this “accountability,” Budzinski wants to see more training for ICE officers as well as body cameras. She added that agents “need to be unmasked.”
She also said ICE received “a huge amount of funding” in President Donald Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, and she would like to understand “why they need” additional funding.
Budzinski addressed the local immigrant community, adding that she has “made it a point to build relationships and meet with our immigrant rights organizations in the community.” She believes local immigrants are struggling with the increased presence of ICE in communities across the U.S.
“It’s heartbreaking. I think they live in fear every day of coming out of their homes,” she said.
She said she recently held an event in Fairmont City alongside Mayor Michael Suarez to talk with the municipality’s large immigrant population. Many of these community members shared that they “don’t feel comfortable” sending their kids to school or going to the grocery store.
Budzinski added that she supports safe places. Illinois is a sanctuary state, but Budzinski would like to see a federal version of this that limits ICE’s jurisdiction in certain locations.
“I’ve signed basically a federal version of that that would create places like schools and hospitals and courtrooms as places that immigrants can come in and seek attention that they need in an emergency without fear of being abducted,” she explained.
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