Democrats Consider Partial Government Shutdown To Curb ICE

WASHINGTON ― The latest fatal shooting of someone by a federal immigration agent in Minnesota has upended Congress’ plan to avert another government shutdown, with Senate Democrats making clear on Saturday they won’t support providing additional funding to the Department of Homeland Security without major changes to the way ICE operates.

“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling —and unacceptable in any American city,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement. “Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE.”

“Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included” in a broader spending package, he added.

Democrats’ opposition to DHS funding substantially increases the likelihood of a shutdown of some government agencies when their funding expires on Jan. 30.

However, if the government or DHS shuts down, ICE will keep running. That’s because of an unprecedented $75 billion boost in funding the agency received from Trump’s so-called Big Beautiful Bill that Republicans passed unilaterally last year.

Democrats who oppose the funding bill include several centrists who voted to end last year’s government shutdown, the longest in history.

“The abuses of power we are seeing from ICE in Minneapolis and across the country are un-American and cannot be normalized,” Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), one of eight Senate Democrats who sided with Republicans in reopening the federal government in November, said in a statement on Saturday. “No one wants criminals in our country, but that’s not who this administration is going after. They’re targeting law-abiding immigrants who just want to support their families and live the American Dream.”

“Enough is enough. We need to rein in ICE’s out of control conduct,” she added.

Rosen was joined by her fellow Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who also voted to end the government shutdown last month. Cortez Masto also called on Senate leaders to strip DHS funding from a broader package that includes funding for five other government agencies. The House approved the six-bill appropriations package last week and left town for a one-week recess, putting pressure on senators to accept the legislation or plunge the government into another (partial) shutdown.

“Let’s pass the remaining five bipartisan bills and fund essential agencies while we continue to fight for a Department of Homeland Security that respects Americans’ constitutional rights and preserves federal law enforcement’s essential role to keep us safe,” Cortez Masto said in a statement.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is indeed looking into strip funding for DHS out of the larger spending package, a spokesperson for the senator confirmed to HuffPost.

Stripping DHS funding from the package would likely require unanimous consent or a vote on the Senate floor. It’s unclear whether that would succeed. Republicans have little interest in making Democrats’ lives easier by stripping out DHS funding that’s dividing their party.

Senators are also facing a time crunch. A previously scheduled vote on Monday was postponed to Tuesday evening due to the massive winter storm hitting the country. That gives them little time to pass the legislation before the Friday deadline.

The appropriations package, which includes funding for the defense, transportation, labor and health departments, will need support from at least eight Democratic senators to overcome a filibuster. That’s looking increasingly unlikely.

Other Democrats who came out against the DHS funding bill on Saturday included members of Democratic leadership: Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Mark Warner of Virginia.

“I am voting against funding for DHS until and unless more controls are put in place to hold ICE accountable,” Schatz, who is in line to become the next Senate Democratic whip, said Saturday. “These repeated incidents of violence across the country are unlawful, needlessly escalatory, and making all of us less safe.”

The legislation includes $10 billion for ICE and $18 billion for Customs and Border Protection, as well as money for body cameras and de-escalation training. But as many Democrats have pointed out, it fails to constrain ICE in any meaningful way.