Florida GOP Rep. Greg Steube Warns Democrats Are “Holding Hostage” American People With Immigration Funding Pacts

Florida Republican Representative Greg Steube stated on Tuesday that Democrats are “holding hostage the American people” by linking government funding to what he described as “ridiculous reforms” that are “complete nonstarters.”

In a recent statement, Steube warned that a government shutdown would immediately impact front-line agencies, emphasizing that “strong and courageous law enforcement officers” would soon go unpaid.

“Who suffers is the American people,” Steube said. He further noted that “Coast Guard officers and TSA personnel will not receive payment in a week or so,” adding that such an impasse threatens critical services.

Steube argued that the current standoff stems from Democrats pushing new restrictions on immigration enforcement, claiming they have “latched on to ICE” because “they don’t think that immigrants, illegal immigrants, gang members, rapists, and murderers should be deported from our country.”

“They’re going after our ICE agents who are courageously doing the great work of the American people,” he said, accusing Democrats of using immigration enforcement as “a bargaining chip to shut down the government.”

Steube specifically rejected Democratic demands for judicial warrants in deportation cases, stating that such requirements are unnecessary because ICE already operates under “an administrative warrant called a detainer.”

“You don’t need a judicial warrant,” he explained. “That’s not how the federal law works—it has not been the case for decades.”

He also noted that most migrants claiming asylum are ultimately denied, saying, “Ninety-six percent of them get denied asylum because they’re just trying to get into the country illegally.”

Steube opposed proposals requiring ICE agents to display name badges, arguing it would endanger officers by enabling doxing.

“I would not support that,” he said. “They’re simply putting that there so that these officers can then be doxed.”

On identification requirements, Steube accused Democrats of hypocrisy, stating, “They want ICE agents to have their ID, but they don’t want voters who vote in our nation’s elections to have ID. The hypocrisy is beyond the pale.”

While dismissing most Democratic requests as unacceptable, Steube indicated that one measure could earn Republican support.

“The only thing of the 10 requests that I could support are body cameras,” he said, noting that “most law enforcement officers will tell you that they’re great for them because you’re actually seeing what actually occurred.”