Democrats Say GOP Funding Plan for Homeland Security Doesn’t Deliver Needed Changes

Leading Democrats in Congress said Thursday that a White House proposal under review for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding falls short of the “dramatic changes” Democrats want in order to curb Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said they believe any shutdown would be the Republicans’ responsibility because they currently control the White House and Congress.

“I’m in the process of reviewing the most recent so-called offer from the White House,” Jeffries told reporters on Feb. 12. “But my preliminary assessment of it is that it falls short of the type of dramatic changes necessary in order to change ICE’s out of control behavior.”

The U.S. Senate on Thursday afternoon failed to pass a bill to fund DHS—with 52 senators voting for a procedural step to advance a full-year spending bill—not enough to overcome the 60-vote filibuster threshold—while 47 senators opposed it.

After the Senate vote failed, Schumer said Democrats would not support DHS funding without what he called meaningful limits on immigration enforcement. “Democrats will not support a blank check for chaos,” Schumer said, adding that Republicans “failed to get the votes to avoid a shutdown” at DHS.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) broke ranks with his party to support the measure. Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) switched his vote to a no to let him bring it up again.

The stalemate continues after Jeffries and Schumer said earlier this week that Republicans had shared only an outline of a counterproposal and that it “included neither details nor legislative text,” calling it “incomplete and insufficient” at the time. No proposals have been made public.

Schumer said Thursday when asked about the details of that counter proposal that the “White House sent [the proposal] privately” and that he was “not negotiating in public.”

A White House official told The Epoch Times earlier this week that they were “continuing to have constructive conversations with members of both parties.”

“President [Donald] Trump wants the government to remain open and for critical services to remain funded,” the official said in an email on Feb. 10.

Jeffries said Democrats will not support moving forward on funding for ICE and DHS “in the absence of dramatic changes that are bold, meaningful, and transformational—period, full stop.” He said it was his expectation that legislation without those changes would fail in the Senate.

List of Demands

The two leaders released a list of 10 demands from Democrats in order to fund DHS after immigration enforcement activity in Minneapolis sparked protests, some of which turned violent, and two protesters were shot and killed during ICE operations there.

Their demands include stricter use-of-force standards, clearer identification for DHS officers, judicial warrants, and limits on what they describe as racial profiling.

Democrats have also pushed for wider use of body cameras. DHS officials told lawmakers in a hearing this week that more than 3,000 of about 13,000 ICE agents currently have cameras, with 6,000 more on the way, and that about 10,000 of roughly 20,000 Border Patrol agents have body cameras.

At the Feb. 10 hearing, Republicans warned that a DHS shutdown would hit agencies such as TSA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Some Republicans suggested that limiting roving patrols like those in Minneapolis could be an area of agreement, while Democrats continued to call for agents to remove their masks. GOP leaders countered that a mask ban could expose agents and their families to doxing and threats. Both parties signaled skepticism about reaching a deal before the Feb. 13 deadline.

With DHS funding set to lapse on Feb. 13, Jeffries framed the stakes as a choice for Republicans. He said either lawmakers adopt major changes to rein in immigration enforcement agencies, or other DHS functions may be shut down.

“Republicans may make the decision that, instead of dramatically reforming ICE and other parts of the Department of Homeland Security, with their out-of-control immigration enforcement efforts targeting American citizens, Republicans would rather shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard, and shut down TSA,” he said. “And if that happens, it’s on them.”

Jeffries highlighted one major issue he said remains unresolved, which is accountability for federal agents who may violate the law. He said Democrats want state and local investigations and, when warranted, criminal prosecutions for agents who engage in unlawful conduct.

“There’s no indication that the White House is prepared to walk away from its outrageous position that federal agents who violate the law under the banner of ICE are able to benefit from so called absolute immunity,” Jeffries said. Vice President JD Vance had suggested after the shooting of one of the individuals in Minnesota that agents may have immunity while performing their immigration enforcement activity.

Darlene McCormick Sanchez and Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.