{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/6/video-blackburn-flames-democrats-for-trying-to-abolish-ice", "VIDEO: Blackburn Flames Democrats for Trying to Abolish ICE", "2026-06-03", "2026", "2026-06", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) delivered remarks on the Senate floor, where she excoriated the Democrats for their long record of trying to abolish ICE and defund law enforcement. Click here to download her remarks and see below for excerpts.\n\nClick here to download Senator Blackburn\u2019s remarks.\n\nEXCERPTS OF REMARKS\n\nDemocrats Do Not Believe in Enforcing the Laws on the Books\n\n\u201cA core responsibility of any representative government is enforcing the rule of law.\u201d\n\n\u201cRepublicans believe in upholding this basic responsibility, but it\u2019s become painfully clear \u2013 and I think it should be regrettable \u2013 that our colleagues across the aisle do not see this as a basic responsibility.\u201d\n\n\u201cEvery single federal immigration law that we have on the books\u2026 was passed by Congress, and that law was signed into law by a sitting U.S. President.\u201d\n\n\u2018These laws actually reflect the will of the American people, and these immigration laws are just as legitimate as any other law that is on the books.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur Democrat colleagues\u2026 see these laws as optional.\u201d\n\nDemocrats Want to Abolish ICE\n\n\u201cFor 76 days, the Democrats kept the Department of Homeland Security shut down.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat do the Democrats think they are doing? Why at a time when there are so many threats, why would they jeopardize our national security?\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Democrats have a goal. They\u2019ve been committed to this for years, and they haven\u2019t been able to pull it off.\u201d\n\n\u201cTheir goal is to defund law enforcement and to abolish ICE.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019ve got a chart that shows some of the statements that have come from people on the left.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is what they are trying to do.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis isn\u2019t a fringe position in today\u2019s Democrat party.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt has become a mainstay of their political agenda.\u201d\n\n\u201cCan you even imagine the chaos that would ensue if we wiped this agency, which is responsible for protecting Americans from cross-border crime and illegal immigration\u2026 off the map?\u201d\n\n\u201cThere would be more crime, more sex trafficking, drug trafficking, more human trafficking, more terrorism, and more lives lost.\u201d\n\nConsequences of Anti-ICE Rhetoric Has Been on Full Display in New Jersey\n\n\u201cSince President Trump returned to office, we\u2019ve seen the consequences of this rhetoric on full display. You can look at what is unfolding right now in New Jersey.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor days, far-left rioters have assaulted law enforcement outside Delaney Hall, which is an immigration detention facility near Newark.\u201d\n\n\u201cOne rioter screamed at an ICE agent\u2026 \u2018Your children, your wife\u2014all dead. I have your face\u2026You\u2019re dead.\u2019\u201d\n\n\u201cImagine if that were being shouted at you as you did your job.\u201d\n\n\u201cImagine if somebody was screaming at you that they were going to kill your kids, they were going to kill your wife, and they were going to kill you. They had your face. They knew who you were. This is what these agents are facing.\u201d\n\n\u201cDeath threats to ICE agents, they\u2019re up 8,000%.\u201d\n\n\u201cInstead of condemning the violence, you\u2019ve got the state\u2019s, New Jersey\u2019s Governor, Democrat, has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the rioters.\u201d\n\n\u201cShe is blaming the ICE officers who are abiding by the rule of law. She is not blaming the paid political protestors who are not peacefully protesting.\u201d\n\n\u201cThis is how radical Democrats have become.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhile the Democrats try to abolish ICE, Republicans are doing everything possible to uphold the rule of law.\u201d", 1, "2026-06-05T06:35:23Z", "2026-06-05T06:36:42Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2026/6/video-blackburn-flames-democrats-for-trying-to-abolish-ice"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6669438444077969, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}