Tipsheet

Senator Eric Schmitt Goes Nuclear on Dems Over ICE Funding, Immigration, and the SAVE Act

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  February 09, 2026 12:45 PM

Senator Eric Schmitt joined Fox News today to push for the SAVE Act and remind Democrats that voters elected President Trump to clean up the immigration mess the Biden administration created.

Congress is gearing up for another shutdown fight, with Democrats demanding some pretty radical changes to how ICE operates, including judicial warrants, ending masking, access to legal counsel and congressional oversight visits in detention facilities, and mandating body-worn cameras. Republicans have said most of these are non-starters, and Democrats almost immediately did a 180 on body cams after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced they'd be implementing the devices nationwide. Dems said they're concerned the cameras will infringe on protesters' privacy rights. What they're really scared of is the cameras showing Americans the insane stuff ICE and Border Patrol put up with.

Fox News Congressional Correspondent Bill Melugin said the mismatch on demands means we're likely headed for another shutdown.

"Here we go again. Congress only has until the end of the day on Friday to figure out some sort of a deal here when it comes to this DHS funding," Melugin said. "And that's really starting to look like more and more of a long shot at this point because Democrats are digging in that ICE either be reformed or defunded."

Senator Eric Schmitt called out the Democrats, saying that ICE funding is a winning issue for Republicans.

“The Democrats thought that they were going to make this their issue or something, but this is a home game for us. The American people are tired of the fact that 15-20 million people came here illegally, they don’t want to kneecap ICE’s ability to do their jobs," reported Melugin.

He also tied the immigration issue to the SAVE Act, saying the Democrats want those millions of illegal immigrants to vote for them in our elections. Schmitt said he's pushing get the SAVE Act passed through the Senate.

"Democrats want to have people who are here illegally vote for them. That's the God's-honest truth," Schmitt said. "And I think if 2024 represented anything, Harris, it was a return of common sense."

"There couldn't be more of a common sense proposal than saying you have to provide voter ID to vote. Just like when you check into a hotel, or you buy an airline ticket, just to prove who you are," Schmitt continued. 

"But I think it's really interesting and telling that two issues are converging at the same time: this issue of illegal immigration and this issue of voter ID. The Democrats aren't really quiet about it anymore," Schmitt said. "They're sort of saying the quiet part our loud. They want to bring in 15 to 20 million people in here illegally, and they want them to vote for them. Because they know their ideas are terrible and they can't win elections otherwise."

"What Republicans are saying is, 'No, look. We want the return of common sense. We want to make sure people are who they say they are. We want to make sure our elections are secure, and that people aren't disenfranchised," Schmitt added.