McAllen, Texas — Should Democrats regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives following the upcoming November midterms, the aggressive and controversial worksite raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) across South Texas will face immediate, legislative curtailment.
That is the core message from Democratic U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, who contend that a House Democratic majority will hold the necessary leverage to impose strict legislative "guardrails" on how the federal agency operates—shifting its mandatory mandate away from non-violent civilian workers and back onto high-priority criminal targets.
The push comes as South Texas industries, most notably residential and commercial construction, grapple with severe labor shortages and abandoned job sites resulting from heightened enforcement tactics.
Critics and legal observers have frequently noted that ICE operates under the executive branch under the direct purview of the president. However, both lawmakers argue that the power of the purse and statutory policy language allow Congress to dictate the exact boundaries of federal law enforcement.
"Congress is the one that sets all those rail guards," U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar told the Rio Grande Guardian following a town hall event hosted with UnidosUS and local community advocacy organizations. "Anything that was there before January of 2025, we should get back."
Cuellar emphasized that legislative statutory language—specifically directives that mandate agency focus—can bind administrative operations regardless of who occupies the White House.
"I am going to make sure that the language I added before is brought back in. It says ICE shall focus on criminals. It was there before 2017, and they took it out. I put it back... It doesn't say think about it. It doesn't say maybe. It says ICE shall focus on criminals," Cuellar said.
Cuellar acknowledged that while the president will remain in office for two more years and the U.S. Senate balance remains crucial, regaining the House majority establishes vital leverage during budget negotiations and authorizing legislation.
Echoing Cuellar's assessment, U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez noted that holding committee majorities in the House provides direct authority over agency appropriations and operational guidelines.
"Because we'll have control of the Congress, we will have a committee with a majority that will be dictating resources to these agencies. So I think it will have a huge impact on their operations," Gonzalez said during a recent interview following a town hall meeting with the South Texas Builders Association.
The urgency behind the lawmakers' legislative push stems from direct pushback from local business leaders. The South Texas Builders Association has voiced strong opposition to ongoing ICE operations, warning that housing construction across the Rio Grande Valley is grinding to a halt as workers are rounded up regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented, leaving project sites abandoned.
Gonzalez warned that the economic fallout extends far beyond home construction into every major sector of the South Texas economy.
"We continue to communicate that what they're doing is not only damaging the image of America across the world, but it's hurting economies like ours here in South Texas," Gonzalez said. "Our farmers don't have the labor they need to harvest their own production. We cannot continue building homes in the middle of a housing shortage in America. Our hotels, our restaurants, our commercial fishing industry—they all don't have the labor they need."
Gonzalez estimated that the United States is currently facing a deficit of four to six million workers needed to sustain economic growth, advocating for a legal pathway for long-term, law-abiding residents.
Both congressmen drew sharp distinctions between current enforcement tactics and past administrative efforts. While acknowledging that prior administrations—including the Obama administration—deported significant numbers of individuals, both lawmakers argued that current methods lack judicial process and human dignity.
"Keep in mind that Obama deported more people... but he did it a very different way," Cuellar noted. "They used judicial warrants. They had rail guards that they don't have right now."
Gonzalez pointed to the psychological and social toll hyper-aggressive tactics are taking on border communities, citing masked officers, unmarked vehicles, and cases where U.S. citizens and honorably discharged veterans were temporarily detained during sweeping operations.
"When you see masked men in unmarked cars pulling people over with these hyper-aggressive methods... it's heartbreaking," Gonzalez said. "It's resulted in hundreds of Americans being detained, and over 30 American veterans who were honorably discharged being held by ICE at some point or another during the process. It’s a real shame and it's disgraceful."
Addressing past legislative votes, Gonzalez defended his previous support for the Department of Homeland Security funding bill, clarifying that his vote was intended to maintain essential operations for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the U.S. Coast Guard, and FEMA during a federal government shutdown, rather than an endorsement of unrestricted ICE expansion.
As the November elections approach, both Cuellar and Gonzalez maintain that the ballot box offers South Texas voters the most direct pathway to altering federal enforcement policy on the ground.
"I think the American people are upset. They're desperate. They're ready for change," Gonzalez concluded. "And I think they're all ready to come out and change things this next election."
