The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is likely to run out of funding next week, as Democrats press for reforms to its immigration enforcement strategies.
But Republican leaders on Thursday pushed back against the Democratic proposals, dismissing them as controversial.
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For example, Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the demands “unreasonable and unreasonable.”
“This isn’t a blank check situation where Republicans just agree to a list of Democrat demands,” Thune said, adding that the two parties appeared to be at loggerheads.
“We are not close to any kind of agreement.”
Congress must pass funding legislation for DHS by February 13, or its programs could be temporarily shut down.
Ten Demands of Democrats
Currently, Democrats focus on changes to DHS’s immigration operations, particularly through programs like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
But any funding shortfall also affects other homeland security functions, including services offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which conducts security screening at airports.
Top Democrats, however, have argued that the homeland security shutdown is necessary because of abuses uncovered under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Last month, Alex Pretty and Renee Nicole Good, two US citizens, were killed by immigration agents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in incidents caught on bystander video.
Their shooting deaths have gone viral, sparking international outrage. Other footage showed masked agents deploying chemical agents and beating civilians who were documenting or protesting their activities — activities protected under the US Constitution.
To protect civil liberties and prevent further bloodshed, Democrats issued a series of statements Wednesday night 10 demands.
Many agents are concerned with transparency. One was a demand to ban immigration agents wearing face masks and another to require them to prominently display their identification number and agency.
Body cameras would also be mandated, though Democrats have clarified that footage obtained by such devices should only be used for accountability, not to track protesters.
Other proposed rules would codify use-of-force policies at the Department of Homeland Security and restrict entry into homes without a judicial warrant, as is common practice under US law. They would also outlaw racial profiling as a metric for conducting immigration stops and arrests.
Political battle over funding
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was “shocked” to hear that Republicans considered the demands unreasonable.
“This is about people’s basic rights. This is about people’s safety,” Schumer said. He asked Republicans to “explain” why they objected to such standards.
In a joint statement with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffrey, Schumer urged members of both parties to rally around what he described as common sense railings.
“Federal immigration agents cannot continue to create chaos in our cities, and taxpayer money should be used to make life more affordable for families who need it,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote.
“It is critical that we come together to impose the common sense reforms and accountability measures that the American people have been demanding.”
Already, Democrats succeeded in separating homeland security funding from a spending bill passed Tuesday to avoid a partial government shutdown.
Some Democrats and Republicans have pushed for a second division to vote on funding for ICE and CBP separate from FEMA and TSA spending.
But Republican leaders have opposed placing independent votes on those agencies, with Thune arguing that it would amount to giving Democrats the ability to “defund law enforcement.”
Thune added that he would encourage Democrats to introduce their own amendments to the legislation that would separate homeland security funding.
It remains to be seen whether the two parties agree to a compromise before the February 13 deadline. Meanwhile, Democrats continue to push for other measures, including firing Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem.