Senator Raphael Warnock sharply criticized the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on Thursday, describing it as dangerously overgrown and unaccountable in the wake of recent fatal shootings involving U.S. citizens.
They made ICE larger than all of the federal law enforcement agencies combined.
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) February 6, 2026
When you build a beast that large, it's got to eat.
And we're witnessing it eat and consume the bodies of ordinary citizens. It is out of control.
“They made ICE larger than all of the federal law enforcement agencies combined,” Warnock said. “When you build a beast that large, it’s got to eat. And we’re witnessing it eat and consume the bodies of ordinary citizens. It is out of control.”
The Georgia Democrat’s remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of ICE following two high-profile incidents in Minneapolis this month. On January 7, an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good, a local woman. Just weeks later federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse, during what the Department of Homeland Security described as an attempted disarmament after Pretti allegedly approached an agent with a handgun and resisted. The agency characterized both as acts of self-defense by officers, but the deaths sparked widespread protests in Minneapolis and other cities.
Warnock visited the sites of both killings in Minneapolis earlier this week, meeting with local faith leaders and standing in silence at memorials that have grown around the locations. He has vowed to block funding for ICE until greater accountability is established, stating that he cannot support legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security without reforms to address what he sees as abuses in immigration enforcement. In a statement, he emphasized that the incidents reflect a deeper moral crisis, refusing to be complicit in what he described as ongoing atrocities.
I voted NO on funding for ICE yesterday. Our rights and freedoms are under attack. pic.twitter.com/tFvUgbRgbM
— Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (@SenatorWarnock) January 30, 2026
The senator’s comments build on his broader concerns about the Trump administration’s approach to immigration and enforcement. ICE’s budget has expanded dramatically in recent years, fueled by supplemental appropriations that have made it the highest-funded federal law enforcement agency, with resources exceeding those of all other non-immigration federal law enforcement entities combined. This growth has supported a significant increase in personnel and detention capacity as part of aggressive deportation goals.
Warnock, who serves as senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta—a congregation historically led by Martin Luther King Jr.—has long framed his advocacy through the lens of social justice and moral responsibility. His statements reflect ongoing debates over oversight of federal agencies, particularly as Congress navigates funding decisions for the Department of Homeland Security amid partisan divisions and public outcry.
