DHS fires back at Durbin for claiming federal agents are just ‘arresting gardeners’ instead of criminals

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday defended its agents after Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said they were being diverted from targeting dangerous criminals to rounding up illegal immigrants, like gardeners, “many of whom pose no threat whatsoever.”

Durbin, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was speaking at a Tuesday hearing titled “Beyond the Smash and Grab: Criminal Networks and Organized Theft” when he noted the various roles federal law enforcement plays in combating organized crime and organized retail theft, specifically Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). 

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Sen. Dick Durbin was criticized on Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security over his remarks about federal law enforcement. (HSI Los Angeles)

“But we acknowledge this administration has announced different priorities,” he said. “Under this administration, HSI has been diverted to rounding up immigrants, many of whom pose no threat whatsoever to this country.”

In a post on X, DHS noted that Durbin’s own state, Illinois, provides sanctuary to criminal illegal immigrants. 

“The brave men and women of HSI that Durbin attacks are getting the worst of the worst off our streets,” the post states. “The Senator should be thanking them, not attacking them.”

The DHS post said remarks like those made by the senator have contributed to more than an 830% increase in attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, “who put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.”

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Durbin cited a report that he said states HSI agents have been moved off new cases to make time for immigration enforcement arrests.

“One veteran agent said ‘no drug cases, no human trafficking, no child exploitation.’ It’s infuriating. Instead, he said, HSI is ‘arresting gardeners.’ These are not the actions of an administration serious about combating crime,” Durbin concluded. “Diverting federal resources endangers Americans and leaves us less equipped to target and disrupt criminals like those in organized retail theft.” 

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Fox News Digital has reached out to Durbin’s office and the White House.