Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) isn't mincing words about Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In a Sunday post on X, he shared a clip from a recent speech where he argued the agency has drifted far from its original purpose—and transformed into something much more troubling.

From Immigration Agency to Domestic Force

"So what ICE has become is not an agency of immigration and customs enforcement," Sanders said. "What it has become is Trump's domestic army."

The Vermont senator took direct aim at conservative lawmakers, challenging them to live up to their own rhetoric. "[If my] conservative friends, people who year after year get up here and say, we believe in small government… finally stand up and say that in America we do not need a domestic army terrorizing communities throughout this country," he pressed.

Sanders also criticized Congress for approving an additional $75 billion in funding for ICE on top of its existing $10 billion annual budget. His proposal? Take that money and use it for something that actually helps people. "Instead of funding a domestic army which breaks the Constitution every day, we should be putting that money to help the people of our country get the healthcare that they need," Sanders said.

On X, he wrote: "ICE is no longer an immigration enforcement agency. It has become Trump's domestic army."

Democrats Push Funding Cuts Amid Shutdown Drama

Sanders isn't alone in this fight. He introduced an amendment to strip out ICE's $75 billion funding increase, while fellow Democrats including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have joined the chorus calling for reforms or outright defunding of the agency.

The battle over ICE funding has become tangled up in the broader government shutdown mess. President Trump warned that the partial shutdown could shave 1.5 percentage points off GDP, and he's pointing fingers at Democrats for the impasse.

The Senate managed to pass a $1.2 trillion funding package, but the House hasn't voted yet. Democrats have blocked portions of the bill over Department of Homeland Security funding, including that $10 billion for ICE—a stance that hardened after fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal officers in Minnesota.

Trump, for his part, said DHS would only intervene in protests in Democrat-led cities if local authorities requested help, though federal buildings would still be protected. Meanwhile, several government departments are operating under funding lapses as the standoff continues.