The Daily ‘Thugs’: The Moderate Democrat Railing Against ICE
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Feb 19, 2026 
Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada senator and former state attorney general with law‑enforcement roots, explains why she led a push to withhold Department of Homeland Security funding. She discusses concerns about ICE hiring and training, recounts warrantless patrols and community incursions, and outlines the reforms and political calculations behind the funding hold.
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Rapid Expansion Undermined ICE Standards
- Catherine Cortez Masto argues the Trump administration rapidly expanded ICE with lowered hiring and training standards, producing a force unsuited for community policing.
- She connects that buildup to directives like a 3,000-deportation quota and abundant post-tax-cut funding for ICE.
ICE Following Worshippers In Las Vegas
- Catherine Cortez Masto recounts ICE agents following people home from church in Las Vegas and sometimes entering without judicial warrants.
- She says agents even targeted families of local police, threatening officers' careers over relatives' immigration status.
Demand Standard Policing Protocols
- Cortez Masto and Democrats demanded ICE use warrants, visible IDs, and stop wearing masks to align with local policing norms.
- She frames these reforms as common-sense practices that trained state and local officers already follow.