Sen. John Cornyn says Democrats are putting Americans at risk by backing sanctuary policies and leaving the Department of Homeland Security unfunded, and he’s pushing a bill to cut federal dollars to sanctuary jurisdictions while pressing the political case ahead of a heated Texas Senate runoff.
Cornyn was blunt in an interview about public safety and policy. “This is just another manifestation of the sort of defund police mentality on the left.” He argued that leaving DHS without funding during rising threats is irresponsible and dangerous.
He pointed to last weekend’s apparent attempt on President Trump’s life as a stark example of why security agencies must be fully supported. “We know there are dangerous people here,” he said. “People with criminal records and others who are a threat to public safety. And if there’s one job that is No. 1, non-negotiable, when it comes to our citizens, it’s public safety.” Cornyn framed this as a test of priorities: security or political posturing.
Beyond high-profile incidents, Cornyn tied the issue to everyday threats communities face, including violent crimes involving illegal immigrants. He invoked the tragic death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray as an example of the real-world consequences he says flowed from lax border policies under the previous administration. “Folks in Texas remember names like Jocelyn Nungaray and others who have been victims of the unlimited open borders immigration that the Biden administration allowed during his four years in office,” he said. “Now that we have safe, secure borders under President Trump, [Democrats] are saying they don’t want to support the Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE].”
To translate those concerns into law, Cornyn introduced the Sanctuary City Elimination Act to deny federal grants to sanctuary cities and states that refuse to honor ICE detainers. The measure would cut off a range of funding streams, from certain community development grants to arts and education dollars, and intends to create legal avenues for states harmed by sanctuary policies to sue to enforce the funding ban. It also aims to protect local officers who cooperate with ICE by treating them as federal officers in certain prosecutions.
The bill gathered Republican cosponsors quickly, with support from a group of Senate conservatives committed to tougher border and immigration enforcement. Cornyn suggested Congress can use reconciliation tools to try to get this across the finish line, even if Democrats dig in. He painted the effort as both a policy priority and a political wedge that highlights stark differences on safety and enforcement.
Locally, the push already had an effect: city councils that flirted with sanctuary approaches retreated when faced with legal and financial consequences. Cornyn noted those moments as proof the leverage works and argued that a national standard could force consistent enforcement across states. He insisted the battle over funding and policy is one Republicans should wage openly.
The lawmaker is also fighting for his political future in a heated runoff against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, and the immigration fight gives him a clear contrast to his opponent. Endorsements in the race have split along expected conservative lines, and Cornyn sees the sanctuary debate and DHS funding as issues that will resonate with voters this year. “They don’t care about public safety. … We do care about public safety,” he said, adding that “is a pretty good contrast and one that we may need to just take to the voters.”
Cornyn recommended that Democrats stop treating DHS as a bargaining chip for unrelated political aims. “Democrats cannot feign concern for President Trump’s life while also refusing to fund the very Department that houses Secret Service and other agencies sworn to protect him. I hope that, finally, the events of this past weekend will serve as a wake-up call for Democrats to fund DHS.” He urged swift action and framed funding as a basic duty, not a partisan favor.
The debate puts public safety, immigration enforcement, and federal funding policy at the center of the campaign trail and Capitol negotiations. Cornyn is betting voters will respond to a straightforward choice: secure borders and fully funded security agencies, or policies he says leave communities exposed. He expects that clarity to drive the conversation through the midterms and into the funding fights that will decide who sets the rules on immigration enforcement.
