Democratic lawmakers, led by Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois, engaged in a heated exchange with ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, regarding funding and deportation goals. Underwood criticized ICE for overspending without meeting unrealistic deportation targets, warning that the agency could run out of funds due to detaining more individuals than approved by Congress. She labeled the goal of deporting 1 million people annually as risky and destined for failure. Lyons countered, assuring that ICE would not face budget shortages, suggesting potential fund transfers from other agencies to maintain 60,000 detention beds.

Lawmakers highlighted challenges in accessing ICE detention centers, citing statutory rights for unannounced inspections. A recent incident involving the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside a detention center underscored tensions between oversight and agency transparency. Concerns were raised over delays in publicizing detainee deaths and allegations of overcrowding and mistreatment in detention facilities, prompting calls for increased accountability.

Amid heightened immigration enforcement and protests nationwide, ICE emphasized targeting individuals with criminal convictions while facing logistical hurdles in achieving deportation goals. Despite boasting 140,000 deportations in Trump’s first 100 days, ICE reported 57,000 removals during that period. With 88,000 arrests this year, ICE remains focused on removing 1.1 million individuals, prioritizing high-risk offenders. Lawmakers recognized the complexities of identifying and detaining undocumented immigrants, acknowledging ICE’s efforts to prioritize public safety amidst ongoing challenges.