Heinrich on CNN: “We Need a Restoration of the Rule of Law Within Immigration Enforcement”

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WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, appeared on CNN's The Arena with Kasie Hunt today where he reacted to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) lawlessness.

"We need a restoration of the rule of law within immigration enforcement. I want those folks to be focused on human traffickers, to be focused on cartel members, and absolutely not to be focused on a five-year-old kid like Liam Ramos," said Heinrich.

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, discusses with CNN's Kasie Hunt the DHS's lawlessness, January 29, 2026.

On a bipartisan funding deal to rein in the DHS' lawlessness:

Kasie Hunt: "What are you hearing right now from your leaders, from other Democrats on Capitol Hill in your role on the Appropriations Committee? Are you confident that you will get a deal with the White House that will rein in ICE somewhat and keep the government open?"

Senator Heinrich: "That's the question. I think what's important here is that 96% of these appropriations are bipartisan and uncontroversial. But when it comes to DHS, we have seen this incredible lawlessness out of Minnesota in particular. And there are many of us who believe it would be absolutely inconceivable that we would give immigration enforcement more money without those reforms. We need a restoration of the rule of law within immigration enforcement. I want those folks to be focused on human traffickers, to be focused on cartel members, and absolutely not to be focused on a five-year-old kid like Liam Ramos."

Hunt: "Senator, are you satisfied with what's on the table in terms of the reforms that could potentially be included in this funding package?"

Heinrich: "Well, we'll have to see what actually we can get agreement on, and I'll be looking very closely at that. But it is obvious: there are a lot of very common sense - just run-of-the-mill 'this is how law enforcement operates'-kind of reforms that can be applied here. No one should be able to enter someone's home without a judicial warrant. The masks need to come off. The body cameras need to go on. They need to conduct themselves to the same code of conduct that all our local police departments and state police departments already abide by. This is not a big ask."

On the Trump Administration's unlawful actions in Minnesota:

Hunt: "One thing that we saw this morning was Tom Homan, the border czar, in Minneapolis, almost seeming to be emotional talking about some of the changes that were going to happen. My question to you about that is: Do you buy it? Do you think they're actually changing their tune?"

Heinrich: "From what I'm hearing on the ground from contacts in Minnesota and from my colleagues from Minnesota, is that on the streets it still looks very much like it did before the weekend. And I think that should concern all of us."

On the unlawful tactics DHS has employed against American citizens:

Hunt: "Sir, you of course are from a border state. You're familiar with the unique challenges that brings and how it might be different than the interior of the country. There has been some focus also on Border Patrol and the tactics and background that they have versus ICE - Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Do you have concerns about how Border Patrol has operated that are different from the concerns you might have about ICE?"

Heinrich: "What's important to understand here is that each of these agencies is trained to do different things. And so right now, we have agencies and personnel operating in ways that they are not trained for: crowd control, interaction with large crowds - that's not something that is part of the Border Patrol handbook. So, yeah, I have concerns, because these law enforcement officers, even the ones with the best of intentions, are operating in environments that they have not been suitably trained for."

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