U.S. Representative Diana DeGette, who has served Colorado’s 1st district in Congress since 1997, used her social media platform to express strong opposition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) funding and broader Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations in early February 2026.
On February 2, DeGette stated: “ICE got $75 billion in Trump’s Big Bad Bill. I’m cosponsoring an effort to take that $75 billion away from ICE to lower health care costs.”
The following day, she reaffirmed her stance by declaring her voting intentions regarding DHS funding: “Today, I am voting NO on funding for DHS. ICE must be defunded and dismantled, and I won’t support another dime to DHS until that happens.”
Later on February 3, DeGette criticized the prioritization of federal investigations under the Trump administration: “Republicans say Medicaid fraud is out of control. But Trump’s DOJ told prosecutors to investigate the widow of a woman murdered by ICE instead. They resigned in protest. 8 more followed. Who’s left to fight the actual fraud? That’s what politicizing enforcement looks like.”
DeGette’s comments reflect longstanding debates over federal immigration enforcement agencies and their budgets. She succeeded Pat Schroeder as representative for Colorado’s 1st district in 1997 after previously serving in the Colorado House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997. Born in Tachikawa, Japan, DeGette has lived most of her life in Denver and holds degrees from Colorado College and New York University.
