President Donald Trump is calling on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to resign after remarks the New York Democrat made about immigration enforcement agencies. The dispute centers on Schumer’s criticism of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement during a funding standoff over the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump sharply criticized Schumer in a post on Truth Social, accusing him of disrespecting federal agents. “Wow! Cryin’ Chuck Schumer just said, for the whole World to hear, that ‘NOBODY RESPECTS BORDER PATROL OR ICE,’” Trump wrote.

He continued his criticism in the same post. “That is one of the most egregious, incorrect, unpatriotic, and dangerous statements I have EVER heard from a ‘professional’ politician,” Trump said.

Trump then demanded an apology from Schumer. “HE MUST IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZE TO THESE GREAT PATRIOTS, AND I MEAN NOW!” he wrote.

In a separate post, Trump escalated his remarks further. “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer should resign over this. He won’t be missed!” he said.

The president’s statement included a message from the National Border Patrol Council, which also condemned Schumer’s comments. The union said it would defend its members against political criticism.

“The National Border Patrol Council will not stay silent. We will defend our members when others attack them for nothing more than political expediency and personal gain,” the group said.

The union directly criticized Schumer’s remarks about immigration agents. “Extreme leftist advocate Chuck Schumer chose to attack and undermine Border Patrol agents and ICE officers—disrespecting the very people who risk their lives to protect this country,” the statement said.

It added that agents are enforcing laws passed by Congress. “Border Patrol agents don’t make the laws—they enforce them,” the group said.

The council also highlighted the role agents play in emergency situations. “These are the same agents who respond when the country needs them most—deploying to natural disasters like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires,” the statement said.

The union concluded with a broader message of support. “WE STAND WITH AND SUPPORT OUR AGENTS! We support all law enforcement, and we will not tolerate anyone who disrespects our wonderful men and women protecting America!” the group said.

Schumer made the comments Wednesday while opposing Senate Republicans’ effort to fund the Department of Homeland Security following a prolonged shutdown. His remarks came during a broader debate over immigration enforcement and agency accountability.

The funding dispute has placed pressure on the department’s operations. According to administration officials, the agency faces financial strain as lawmakers continue to debate funding measures.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that the department could soon face payroll issues. He said the agency was projected to run out of money to cover payroll by the first week of May.

The funding standoff follows public backlash over incidents involving immigration enforcement earlier this year. In January, agents were involved in the fatal shootings of two American citizens in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Those incidents prompted calls from Democrats for reforms within the department. Lawmakers have since tied those demands to broader funding negotiations.

During the shutdown, Department of Homeland Security employees were required to continue working without pay. That included Transportation Security Administration agents responsible for airport security across the country.

The situation changed after Trump directed the department to access previously approved funding. The administration tapped into $10 billion allocated for border security in a spending package passed last July.

Acting AG Blanche Fires Back at Obama’s DOJ Criticism

Posted July 21, 2026

Former President Barack Obama sharply criticized the Trump administration this week over what he described as growing political influence inside the United States Department of Justice, prompting an aggressive response from Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defending both the administration’s prosecutions and President Donald Trump’s authority over the executive branch.

The escalating public dispute comes as the Justice Department faces mounting scrutiny over a series of criminal investigations and indictments involving several longtime Trump critics and political adversaries, including former FBI Director James Comey.

Obama raised the issue during an interview with Stephen Colbert on CBS’ The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that aired Monday night.

“The White House shouldn’t be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever,” Obama said during the interview. “The idea is that the attorney general is the people’s lawyer. It’s not the president’s consigliere.”

Obama suggested the principle of DOJ independence may ultimately need to be codified into law by Congress, arguing that the justice system risks becoming politicized if presidents are perceived as directly targeting political opponents through federal prosecutions.

The comments immediately triggered pushback from the Trump administration.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson accused Obama of hypocrisy, arguing that his administration played a central role in the origins of the Trump-Russia investigation.

“Barack Hussein Obama is the king of weaponization,” Jackson said in a statement, referencing declassified documents related to the FBI’s Russia probe.

But the administration’s most extensive response came Wednesday from Blanche during an interview with CBS News in Phoenix.

Blanche forcefully rejected accusations that the DOJ is engaged in political retaliation and defended the president’s constitutional authority over the executive branch.

“Article Two says, ‘the executive power shall be vested in the President of the United States of America,’” Blanche said while holding a pocket copy of the Constitution during the interview. “It does not say that the Attorney General stands off to the side.”

Blanche emphasized that the attorney general serves within the executive branch and argued that presidents are fully entitled to direct priorities involving law enforcement, immigration, drugs, and national security.

“To the extent that President Trump calls me and says that he thinks we have a problem in this country, whether it’s the scourge of drugs, illegal immigration, every American wants him to do that,” Blanche said. “And he should.”

The acting attorney general also dismissed accusations that the DOJ is pursuing politically motivated cases against Trump critics.

“We are absolutely doing nothing but what we should be doing at the Department of Justice,” Blanche said. “I wake up with a very clean conscience every morning.”

The public clash comes amid multiple high-profile investigations involving Trump adversaries.

Most notably, Comey was recently indicted after prosecutors alleged a 2025 Instagram post featuring seashells arranged to form the numbers “86 47” constituted a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Prosecutors argue “86” is commonly understood slang meaning “to eliminate” or “get rid of.”

Blanche defended the case, arguing threats against the president must be treated seriously given recent assassination attempts and escalating political extremism.

Last year, Trump publicly urged then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue prosecutions against Comey, James, and Sen. Adam Schiff, writing on social media that “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED.”

Blanche declined to discuss private conversations with Trump when asked whether the president personally directed prosecutions.

“But rest assured,” Blanche said, “he has much better, bigger and important things to do than to worry about me doing my job.”

Blanche also turned Democrats’ criticism back against them by pointing to the multiple criminal prosecutions Trump himself faced before returning to office, including cases brought by state prosecutors in New York and Georgia as well as federal investigations overseen by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

“So I welcome criticism. Let’s go,” Blanche said. “But if you’re sitting in a glass house, you ought not throw stones.”