Democratic Party and Immigration Policy

In a newly published interview on The New York Times podcast 'The Daily,' Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D‑Nev., says Democrats have historically been 'weak on immigration,' faulting her party — including the Biden administration — for being 'too afraid to talk about securing the border' and failing to explain how tough enforcement and humane treatment can coexist. She argues most Americans want both border security and a fair process for immigrants 'who have been playing by the rules,' and says Democrats have 'shied away' from making that case. Pressed on her party’s current standoff over Department of Homeland Security funding, Cortez Masto insists she does not want to 'completely' defund ICE but says the agency now has 'too much money' under Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill and that some funds should be diverted to state and local law enforcement, which she portrays as better trained to protect constitutional rights during arrests and protests. Her comments land as Democrats block a DHS funding bill over ICE reform demands and as DHS’s inspector general says most audits of immigration enforcement are paused during the department‑only shutdown, sharpening internal Democratic splits over how to confront Trump’s mass‑deportation push without being branded soft on border security.