Democrats Submit New ICE Reform Counteroffer as DHS Shutdown Enters Critical Phase
Democrats and the White House are locked in tense negotiations over funding the Department of Homeland Security, with immigration enforcement reforms emerging as the central sticking point.
Funding for DHS lapsed Saturday after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement, triggering a partial shutdown that affects several key federal agencies. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continue operating due to previously allocated funds, agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, the Coast Guard and FEMA are impacted. Many employees remain on the job but will not be paid until funding is restored.
On Monday, Senate Democrats sent a counteroffer to the White House and congressional Republicans, according to a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Details of the proposal were not immediately released, but it marks the latest development in ongoing negotiations.
Democrats have insisted that any funding deal must include changes to ICE and CBP practices following two deadly shootings by federal agents during immigration operations in Minneapolis last month. The incidents intensified scrutiny of enforcement tactics and prompted calls for reform.
Schumer outlined Democrats’ demands in a CNN interview, saying the party has “three basic objectives to rein in ICE and end the violence.” Those include ending certain roving patrols and restricting ICE agents from entering specific locations, establishing a formal use-of-force code, and requiring agents to forgo masks and wear body cameras.
“These are common-sense proposals,” Schumer said, arguing that similar standards exist in most police departments nationwide. Republicans, however, have pushed back — particularly on the mask requirement — saying agents need face coverings for safety amid rising threats and assaults.
President Donald Trump said Monday that he plans to meet with Democrats to discuss DHS funding but signaled resistance to some of their conditions. “We’re going to protect law enforcement,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “We’re going to protect ICE.”
White House border czar Tom Homan echoed concerns about officer safety, saying while he personally dislikes the optics of agents wearing masks, he believes they are necessary given the current security climate.
Lawmakers are currently on recess and would need to be called back to Washington if a deal is reached. If negotiations stall, Congress is not scheduled to return until February 23 — just one day before Trump is set to deliver the State of the Union address. Asked whether he would proceed with the speech if the shutdown continues, Trump said he likely would. “It wouldn’t bother me,” he said.
With neither side signaling imminent compromise, the standoff over immigration enforcement and DHS funding shows no immediate signs of resolution.
