Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer came under fire Thursday after claiming on the Senate floor that nobody in the United States respects either Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as Congress has yet to fund either agency in a now 68-day partial government shutdown.
Senator Schumer says “nobody respects” ICE and CBP agents.
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) April 23, 2026
These brave men and women risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe.
Democrats’ hatred towards law enforcement is disgusting. pic.twitter.com/uePZrsB3u8
Several Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin as well as President Trump himself, quickly blasted Sen. Schumer's remarks. The president even demanded that he apologize.
President Trump is DEMANDING Chuck Schumer apologize after saying no one respects ICE or CBP pic.twitter.com/ZHFsz6mTCh
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 23, 2026
"Wow! Cryin’ Chuck Schumer just said, for the whole World to hear, that 'NOBODY RESPECTS BORDER PATROL OR ICE,'" the president wrote on Truth Social. "That is one of the most egregious, incorrect, unpatriotic, and dangerous statements I have EVER heard from a 'professional' politician. HE MUST IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZE TO THESE GREAT PATRIOTS, AND I MEAN NOW! President DONALD J. TRUMP."
DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin just went OFF on Chuck Schumer after he said no one respects ICE or CBP:
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 23, 2026
"Chuck Schumer, no one respects YOU. The definition of a lying scumbag politician? That is YOU."pic.twitter.com/ypuVUVRKSV
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"Chuck Schumer, no one respects you," Secretary Mullin said in an interview with Fox News. "The definition of a lying scumbag politician, that is you. You would be the definition if you Googled you right now. I mean, why don't you just come out and be honest with American people? He wants to have open borders."
"If you want to defund the Customs and Border Protection Agency, if you want to defund ICE, who is in there arresting the criminals that the walls were passed by, you had time to change those during the Biden administration," he continued. "You didn't, because you're for open borders, and you're for the criminals running amok in our cities. And for you to say that is so disrespectful to the law enforcement that is out there protecting you, because he has a detail with him."
"How about he walks around these city streets without a detail?" he added. "I wonder how safe he would feel."
This comes shortly after Secretary Mullin revealed that emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is set to run out by the end of the month, as Congress has failed to fully fund the law enforcement agencies central to President Trump’s immigration policy.
MULLIN says DHS will run out of emergency cash to pay his workforce at the end of April
— Jennie Taer (@JennieSTaer) April 21, 2026
"There's no more money." pic.twitter.com/KYdXI8Algt
The partial government shutdown was briefly mitigated after an executive order from President Trump allowed emergency funds to be used to pay DHS employees.
Editor’s Note: Democrats are causing chaos at airports and inflicting pain on the American people simply because they want to keep illegal aliens from being deported.
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