Cortez Masto admits Democrats have been 'weak on immigration,' chides Biden administration on border security

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., conceded that Democrats are weak on immigration in an interview published Thursday with The New York Times podcast, "The Daily."

This comes as the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) internal watchdog has been forced to pause a significant chunk of its oversight of immigration enforcement as Democrats continue to withhold support for funding the Cabinet-level agency.

Host Michael Barbaro asked Cortez Masto in part if this move by her party could make them appear to be weak on immigration. 

"Well, I think traditionally I have seen that the Democrats are weak on immigration," she said.

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"Full stop, you're conceding that?" Barbaro asked.

"Yeah. Absolutely," she said. "Because this has been my challenge. I know as somebody who has worked in this space, we can do both. We can secure our borders. We can address the human trafficking, the drug trafficking and weapons trafficking that’s happening there."

Cortez Masto, a former Nevada attorney general, said she supports a secure border and treating people with respect.

"We can work to secure it, fund it, and at the same time have an immigration process that treats people with respect — people who want to come to this country, who have been playing by the rules, who have actually contributed to our communities and paying taxes and raising their families," she said.

Cortez Masto slammed her party for not communicating better on the issue, adding the Biden administration was too hesitant.

"But I have seen Democrats shy away from that," she said. "They don’t talk about the balance between the two. I watched as the last administration was too afraid to talk about securing the border."

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"This is where most of the country is — this is how they think," she added. "Americans aren’t stupid. They can see both sides of it, and want both sides of it."

Barbaro pushed Cortez Masto on the ongoing DHS funding fight and asked, "But by defunding the agency that oversees immigration enforcement – including at the border – how do you avoid the perception that you are making that work harder and/or less effective?"

Cortez Masto said she doesn't want to "completely" defund ICE.

"What we are saying is fund them to the level they traditionally were so that we’re securing our borders. And we are also working in our communities with local law enforcement to go after the violent criminals under the immigration jurisdiction that they have," she said.

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Cortez Masto said she wants to divert funds for ICE from the Big Beautiful Bill to local law enforcement.

"They have too much money," she said. "Too much. So let’s take it away. Let’s divert it to local law enforcement and state law enforcement, who are trained to work in our communities, who know how to manage a protest or even pull somebody over in the car without violating their constitutional rights."

A spokesperson for the DHS office of the Inspector General (OIG) told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that most of its audits and inspections have had to be paused during the partial government shutdown, including many dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Democrats have called for stricter oversight of ICE since President Donald Trump sent federal law enforcement agents to blue cities across the country in a bid to crack down on illegal immigration.

DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

Fox News Digital's Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.