WASHINGTON — Lawmakers grilled officials from the Transportation Security Administration and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency about their involvement in enforcing immigration law in the Homeland Security Committee’s first full hearing of the year Wednesday morning.
While the hearing initially focused on how President Donald Trump’s recent TSA and CISA federal budget cuts are affecting the two agencies, the discussion quickly shifted to Democrats’ concerns over the legality of the agencies sharing data with ICE and Republicans’ calls for stricter identification vetting.
“As a Chicagoan, I know the terror that DHS can inflict with unlimited resources and unchecked power,” Rep. Ramirez, D-Ill., said. “Our constituents are being surveilled, are being threatened, are being tear-gassed and subjected to warrantless arrest.”
The hearing comes exactly two weeks after the killing of Renee Good by an ICE agent in Minnesota, which sparked a national uproar and protests in Washington, D.C., and several other blue states. The Department of Homeland Security claimed the agent was acting in self-defense, as Good briefly reversed and then moved her vehicle forward. Analysts have not confirmed whether Good posed such a threat based on the videos made public, but protesters claim she had simply driven off.
“What happened to Ms. Good is something that people are not going to forget,” Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, said.
When asked whether her agency is sharing data with ICE, TSA Deputy Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeil said the agency helps ICE “check against information” and that it is within TSA’s authority to share data with DHS or for national security purposes.
Ramirez said TSA’s mission is “to secure transportation,” and “not to assist ICE with immigration enforcement.” No law forbids undocumented people from flying domestically within the U.S., she added.
Republicans said the need for stricter immigration law enforcement stemmed from the aftermath of the Biden administration’s “open border” policies.
“Now, the American people elected President Trump and this administration to go and solve the problem,” Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., said.
Several Democrats said the witness panel should have included ICE officials so they could be questioned about the Minnesota shooting.
While both sides agreed there is a need to maintain cybersecurity capabilities ahead of events like the 2026 World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and preparations tied to America’s 250th anniversary, Republicans disagreed that Trump’s funding cuts would impact agency performance.
“You’re doing more with less and you’re doing it more efficiently, and so for that I say ‘thank you,’” Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said to one of the CISA witnesses.
Democrats, however, cited significant workforce losses at CISA, with the agency down more than a third of its personnel over the past year, according to internal reports acquired by Bloomberg News.
CISA Acting Director Dr. Madhu Gottumukkalah said despite the workforce reduction, the agency remains “fully operational.” He said that those who left the organization allegedly did so voluntarily.
Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., questioned Gottumukkalah on whether he failed his counterintelligence polygraph test — a specialized examination for national security roles that aim to reveal potential threats like espionage, sabotage, terrorism and unauthorized disclosure of classified information.
“I do not accept the premise of that characterization and I’m not going to discuss the testing outcomes or clearance matters in an open session,” Gottumukkalah said.
Both sides argued whether the current ICE procedures are legal or justified, with Democrats pressing McNeil to provide written clarification on the legal authority governing the data sharing.
Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., played two news clips of federal agents attacking civilians, also arguing against total immunity.
“What does it say about the rotten culture at the Trump Department of Homeland Security that when American citizens are hurt by federal agents, the response is to immediately blame the victims before you even know the facts?” Magaziner said.
