U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, said recent actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are hurting South Texas businesses and public school attendance. Speaking to the Rio Grande Guardian in McAllen before a Get Out the Vote rally, he also said the enforcement is driving higher voter engagement among Latinos ahead of the midterm elections. Cuellar said ICE should focus on dangerous criminals.
Cuellar said that if Democrats win the House majority in November, he expects to become chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. He said he plans to increase oversight of immigration enforcement agencies and to investigate why there have been deaths in detention centers. He also said he has plans to put "guardrails" on ICE.
Cuellar said he spoke with a Palmhurst event center owner who told him the business lost 20 contracts because customers feared ICE raids. He also said attendance at border-area public schools is dropping because of fear among families, along with school vouchers. The rally featured U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, Sylvia Garcia and Linda Sanchez, and congressional candidate Bobby Pulido.