DHS funding standoff risks potential partial government shutdown

Washington lawmakers from both parties remain deadlocked over ICEreforms as a key deadline nears. The Department of Homeland Security faces a funding cutoff on Saturday, Feb. 14, according to CBS News. This comes after a recent short-term patch kept operations going past a partial government shutdown.

Senate Democrats sent draft legislation to Republicans last week. The proposal draws from a letter by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, as reported by CBS News. It seeks to add guardrails to immigration enforcement.

Democrats push key demands

Democrats want agents to wear body cameras and display IDs, according to Politico. They also call for a no-mask policy and bans on entering private property without judicial warrants. Agents must verify non-citizen status before detention, among 10 total demands.

“In our view, the ball is in the court right now of the Republicans,” Hakeem Jeffries said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” according to CBS News. He added that without reforms, agencies like the Coast Guard, FEMA and TSA could shut down.

Jeffries called the changes “common sense,” citing body cameras and warrant requirements. He said Democrats have not heard back from the White House or GOP leaders.

Republicans draw red lines

GOP members labeled the demands “unrealistic and unserious.” Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said on “Face the Nation” that some ideas like body cameras make sense, but others do not, as reported by CBS News.

“If rioters get to wear masks, then law enforcement gets to wear masks as well,” Gonzales said. He opposed amnesty or stripping officer protections.

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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., predicted trouble ahead. “I absolutely would expect that it’s going to shut down,” he told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” according to Politico.

The dispute gained heat after two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis last month. Some Republicans, like Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, back body cameras. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced cameras for Minneapolis agents.

Fetterman noted a shutdown would hit TSA workers hard. “I think every American deserves to be paid for the work that they’ve done,” he said, according to Politico. ICE and Customs and Border Protection have funds from last year’s bill, so core immigration work would continue.

The standoff tests bipartisan will amid calls to curb the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Failure to agree could trigger shutdown procedures starting Saturday, Feb. 14, affecting vital services.