WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leaders say a White House proposal is “incomplete and insufficient” as they call for new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and threaten to shut down the Department of Homeland Security.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement late Monday that a White House counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and did not address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” The White House proposal has not been released publicly.
The Democrats’ statement comes as time is running out, with another partial government shutdown threatening to begin Saturday. Among the Democrats’ demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and an end to racial profiling. They say such changes are necessary after two protesters were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.
Earlier Monday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RSD, had expressed optimism about the rare negotiations between Democrats and the White House, saying there was “progress forward.”
Thune said it was a good sign that the two sides were trading papers, and “we hope they can find some common ground here.”
But it will be difficult to reach an agreement on the charged issue of immigration enforcement, especially since rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties have been skeptical of finding common ground.
Republicans have backed away from Democrats’ demands and some have demands of their own, including adding legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities they say don’t do enough to reduce illegal immigration.
And many Democrats who are furious about the aggressive crackdown on Immigration and Customs Enforcement have said they won’t vote for another penny of Homeland Security funding until enforcement is radically scaled back.
“Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill can move forward,” Jeffries said earlier Monday. “Period. Full stop.”
Trump deals with Democrats
Congress is trying to renegotiate the DHS spending bill after Trump agreed to a Democratic request to separate it from a larger spending measure that became law last week. That package extended Homeland Security funding at current levels only through Feb. 13, creating a short window for action as the two parties discuss new restrictions on ICE and other federal officials.
Democrats made the calls for new restrictions on ICE and other federal law enforcement after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a US border patrol officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans suggested new restrictions were needed. Renee Good was shot by ICE agents on January 7th.
While agreeing to split the funding, Trump has not publicly responded to Democrats’ specific requests.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said late last week that the Trump administration is willing to discuss some items on the Democrats’ list, but “others don’t seem to be based on any common sense, and they don’t start for this administration.”
Democratic demands
Schumer and Jeffries said they want immigration officials to remove their masks, show identification and better coordinate with local authorities. They also demanded a stricter policy on the use of force for federal officers, legal safeguards in detention centers and a ban on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.
Among other demands, the Democrats say that Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” ensure that the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and it is necessary that before a person can be detained, it must be verified that the person is not an American citizen.
Republicans have said they support the requirement that DHS officers have body-worn cameras — language that was in the original DHS bill — but backed away from many of the other Democratic demands.
“Unmasking ICE officers and agents, the reason we can’t do that is it puts them in great harm, their families at great risk because people are targeting them and targeting them,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday. “We want to talk about things that are reasonable and achievable.”
Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty said on “Fox News Sunday” that Democrats are “trying to motivate a radical left base.”
“The left has gone completely overboard, and they’re threatening the safety and security of our agents so they can’t do their jobs,” Hagerty said.
Consequences of closure
In addition to ICE and US Customs and Border Protection, the homeland security bill includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. If DHS shuts down, Thune said last week, “there’s a very good chance we could see more travel problems” similar to the 43-day government shutdown last year.
Lawmakers in both parties have suggested they could separate funding for ICE and the Border Patrol and pass the rest by Friday. But Thune was cool to that idea, and instead said Congress should pass another short-term extension for the entire DHS while they negotiate possible new restrictions.
“If additional time is needed, then hopefully the Democrats will be amenable to another extension,” Thune said.
Many Democrats are unlikely to vote for another extension. But Republicans could potentially win enough votes in both houses from Democrats if they feel hopeful about the negotiations.
“The ball is in the Republicans’ court,” Jeffries said Monday.
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Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.