WATCH: Cornyn tears into Dems for holding DHS 'hostage' and failing the No. 1 'non-negotiable' for America
Longtime Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn accused Democrats of jeopardizing American lives amid heightened threats by supporting sanctuary policies and allowing the Department of Homeland Security to remain unfunded.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Cornyn decried the Democrats, saying, "This is just another manifestation of the sort of defund police mentality on the left."
The comments come amid heightened national concern over public safety threats following what appeared to be another attempted assassination targeting President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday.
There is also widespread concern over violent crimes involving illegal immigrants in communities across the country. Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security is experiencing the longest funding lapse in its history, further straining its ability to respond to threats.
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"We know there are dangerous people here," he said. "People with criminal records and others who are a threat to public safety. And if there's one job that is No. 1, non-negotiable, when it comes to our citizens, it's public safety."
Cornyn, one of the most senior members of the Senate who chairs the Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee, introduced the Sanctuary City Elimination Act last week to ensure local police comply with ICE detainers by barring sanctuary cities from accessing federal funding.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Cornyn also accused Democrats of holding DHS "hostage" to "avoid funding immigration enforcement." He added that "this is just another manifestation of the sort of defund police mentality on the left, specifically now in the context of illegal immigration."
Cornyn ripped into Democrats, pointing to deaths such as that of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, a U.S. citizen living in Houston who was killed by two illegal immigrants during the Biden administration in 2024.
"Folks in Texas remember names like Jocelyn Nungaray and others who have been victims of the unlimited open borders immigration that the Biden administration allowed during his four years in office," he said. "Now that we have safe, secure borders under President Trump, [Democrats] are saying they don't want to support the Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE]."
Cornyn is locked in a bitter primary runoff with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The attorney general is challenging Cornyn for the Senate seat he has held since 2002. While Paxton has received endorsements from the likes of Turning Point USA, Cornyn has been endorsed by the National Border Patrol Council. President Donald Trump has not issued an endorsement in the race, which will be decided by voters in late May.
Cornyn’s Sanctuary City Elimination Act is cosponsored by Sens. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., Ted Budd, R-N.C., Tim Scott, R-S.C., Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
If passed, the measure would bar sanctuary cities and states from receiving certain federal funds and grants, including arts, education, environmental and community development block grants, according to Cornyn’s office. The bill would also seek to shield state and local law enforcement officers who comply with ICE detainers from prosecution by treating them as federal officers.
Additionally, the bill allows state governments "harmed by criminal aliens released by sanctuary jurisdictions" to sue those jurisdictions and the federal government to enforce the prohibition on funding to that sanctuary jurisdiction.
The same week Cornyn introduced the bill, the Houston City Council backed off a sanctuary-type policy amid threats of legal action from state officials.
Cornyn believes his bill can accomplish a similar result across the country. He noted that even if Democrats stymie progress on his bill, "We can certainly try to pass this using the same reconciliation process that we'll use to fund ICE and the Department of Homeland Security."
"This is a battleground that we should not shy away from," he said.
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Alluding to the upcoming midterm elections, Cornyn expressed confidence the issue will continue to resonate with voters in November.
"They don't care about public safety. … We do care about public safety," he said, adding that "is a pretty good contrast and one that we may need to just take to the voters."
Addressing the weekend shooting, Cornyn told Fox News Digital, "Democrats cannot feign concern for President Trump’s life while also refusing to fund the very Department that houses Secret Service and other agencies sworn to protect him.
"I hope that, finally, the events of this past weekend will serve as a wake-up call for Democrats to fund DHS."
Fox News Digital reached out to spokespeople for former President Joe Biden and to Paxton for comment. Fox News Digital also reached out to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for comment.