Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., drew criticism Wednesday after delivering part of her proposal to abolish the Department of Homeland Security in Spanish, telling a Chicago audience the goal was to ensure “our people will no longer have to live in fear.”
Ramirez introduced the Reimagining Safety Act at a press conference, calling for DHS to be replaced with a new “Department of Community Safety.” In a video circulated by TheBlaze and reporter Julio Rosas, she argued that immigration enforcement agencies track communities and treat immigrants as threats.
Democrat Rep. Delia Ramirez while speaking in Spanish: “We are going to abolish the Department of Homeland Security so our people will no longer have to live in fear.” pic.twitter.com/CkFX3rAo4Y
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 23, 2026
Commentators and social media users seized on her use of Spanish and the phrase “our people,” arguing that she was addressing noncitizen immigrants rather than the American voters she represents. Those claims reflected critics’ interpretation of her remarks; the phrase itself did not establish whom she meant or their citizenship status.
Remittances, that is money sent from immigrants in the United States back home, make up roughly 20% of the Guatemala economy.
Remittances account for 20% of Guatemalan GDP
Mass migration has resulted in zombie nations whose entire economic model now consists of exporting citizens in return for remittance flows
The next step seems to be installing fifth columnists into office to represent foreign… https://t.co/3I76dVVFmk
— skepticalifornia (@skepticaliblog) September 23, 2026
Ramirez was born in Chicago to Guatemalan immigrant parents and represents Illinois’s 3rd Congressional District, which has a large Hispanic population. Her office and supporters have described her immigration advocacy as part of her work on behalf of the district’s working families and immigrant communities.
The dispute renewed attention to a 2025 speech in Mexico City in which Ramirez described herself as “a proud Guatemalan before I’m an American.” Critics cited that statement as evidence of divided loyalty, while Ramirez later said she was honoring her heritage and expressing her dual identity.
This is a member of Congress.
The "our people" she refers to in a foreign language are not the American people.
Don't look away.
Understand what time it is, and prepare yourself accordingly. https://t.co/08993FCWrP
— Jeremy Carl (@realJeremyCarl) September 23, 2026
The legislation would abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, transfer the Transportation Security Administration and Coast Guard to the Department of Transportation, and redirect an estimated $150 billion in DHS funding toward community programs. Ramirez has called DHS a “weapon” used against immigrants and argued that the department cannot be reformed.
The measure faces long odds in Congress, but the remarks have brought fresh scrutiny to Ramirez’s immigration positions and her push to dismantle the department responsible for border security and other homeland security functions.
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