White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller publicly criticized Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) on Sunday, calling the senator’s stance on border security funding “dishonest and disgraceful” in response to Paul’s comments on Fox News regarding proposed funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
As The Gateway Pundit reported, appearing on Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Paul defended his opposition to a border funding package that would allocate billions of dollars toward ICE operations, border fencing, and additional personnel.
Bartiromo pressed Paul on his vote, particularly in light of the escalating violence in Los Angeles over the weekend, where ICE agents faced resistance during enforcement operations and the National Guard was activated to assist.
Trump’s Sovereign Wealth Fund: What Could It Mean For Your Money?
“There are people who are questioning why you would not support a bill that puts more money into border security—particularly at this moment in time, when we see what’s going on in Los Angeles this morning,” Bartiromo said.
“The President had to send the National Guard to Los Angeles.”
Paul responded by arguing that the funding requested by the Trump administration was excessive. He cited figures for fencing, claiming:
“They want $46.5 billion. Well, I did the math on this. The current rate, according to the Border Patrol, is $6.5 million per mile. That would be $6.5 billion for a thousand miles.”
This Could Be the Most Important Video Gun Owners Watch All Year
He went on to question how the additional billions would be spent and warned against building a long-term financial burden through over-hiring.
“I would hire some new people,” Paul said. “I’d probably do half as much as what they’re asking for because the border is largely controlled right now.”
Rand Paul’s reaction to the insurrectionists in LA attacking ICE officers and waving foreign flags:
“We should cut the immigration enforcement funding in Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill in half.”
You can’t make this up. pic.twitter.com/ttXLCTENEr
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) June 8, 2025
Stephen Miller responded shortly after Paul’s appearance, using his X account to push back on the senator’s claims. “The United States has spent trillions subsidizing open borders and mass migration,” Miller posted.
“But when we talk about providing ICE even a modest sum to repel the invasion, the Rand libertarians are aghast. Each deportation saves taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Miller then directly called out Paul’s position as misleading, saying, “Look at how dishonest this post is,” and added, “The only new spending in the tax cut bill is for homeland defense & security—offset by new fees on foreigners.”
Miller also emphasized that the bill includes “more than $1.6 trillion in spending CUTS,” pointing to measures such as ending benefits for illegal immigrants and implementing work requirements for welfare programs.
The United States has spent trillions subsidizing open borders and mass migration. But when we talk about providing ICE even a modest sum to repel the invasion the Rand libertarians are aghast. As it happens, each deportation saves taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. https://t.co/UKWxJWbIhO
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 8, 2025
The exchange highlighted internal divisions among Republicans over the scale and scope of border security funding, even as enforcement actions continue in major cities and public pressure grows for additional immigration control measures.
Connect with Vetted Off-Duty Cops to Instantly Fulfill Your Security Needs
The opinions expressed by contributors and/or content partners are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of LifeZette. Contact us for guidelines on submitting your own commentary.
Read the full article here