Republicans insist on keeping ICE agents masked

WASHINGTON – Congress has yet to approve the bipartisan deal President Donald Trump struck with Senate Democrats to avoid another government shutdown, but lawmakers are already at war over a key part of the package: a two-week negotiation over ICE reforms following a pair of deadly shootings in Minnesota.

Republicans strongly oppose many of Democrats’ demands, such as ensuring that federal agents properly identify themselves and remove their masks when interacting with the public, as well as limiting the use of administrative warrants to enter homes during immigration raids.

“They will find out where they live, harass their families or worse,” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) told reporters Monday. “I’m not interested in empowering these people who are hell-bent on ending deportations entirely. I want officers to be safe. I want protesters to be safe. And there’s a way to do that, which is: don’t interfere with ICE operations.”

“The nastiest thing Democrats are pushing are injunctions, which completely neutralize our ability to enforce immigration laws,” added Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), while complaining that judges appointed by Democratic presidents are blocking Trump’s immigration agenda. “That’s the Democrats’ clever way of appearing reasonable, but wildly unreasonable.”

Last week, Senate Democrats successfully fought to decouple funding for the Department of Homeland Security from a broader spending package, staving off the threat of a broader shutdown while giving Republicans two weeks to agree on reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Democrats are pushing to end roving immigration patrols in communities across the country, institute a code of conduct and require federal immigration agents to wear body cameras, measures they described as common-sense solutions to address the aggressive and sometimes violent tactics of federal agents, including in the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis.

“This idea [Mike] Johnson has [that] Should ICE people be able to wear masks? Police officers are not wearing masks across the country,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a speech Monday. “If anyone needs to be identified, it’s these abusive thugs that are in the Border Patrol, that are in ICE. If Republicans cannot come to the table on these very sensible changes, then the violence we see across the country will continue.”

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The Trump administration moved closer to one of Democrats’ demands on Monday, announcing that it will deploy body cameras to every federal agent in the field in Minneapolis. That could ultimately help Congress reach a deal on DHS funding later this month. But Democrats want it to become law rather than simply taking the administration’s word for it.

“Agreeing to do something in one city for a couple of days is not going to relieve the pressure,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), one of the Democrats who voted to end the latest government shutdown, told News themezone. “We want a legal text that the president will sign and, frankly, we hope that when he does, he will violate it anyway, but we will be able to get the courts to enforce it.”

Although the Senate approved the funding agreement, the House has not yet adopted it. House Democrats said they would not help Johnson pass the bill quickly, increasing pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to do it on his own. Trump has urged House Republicans to pass the legislation quickly and without changes, making Johnson’s job easier.

Even if the House manages to get its act together and avoid a government shutdown this week, it will be difficult to reach a deal to fund DHS long-term with backstops for ICE. Republicans are raising their own demands, such as pushing for passage of the Safeguarding American Voters’ Eligibility, or SAVE, Act. The legislation would limit mail-in voting and establish a national photo ID requirement for voting, something Democrats can’t do.

“House Republicans should not allow Schumer to dictate the terms of government funding,” Rep. Eric Burlinson (R-Mo.) wrote in a mail online. “If Democrats want to play ball, no spending package should leave the House without the SAVE Act attached – securing American elections should be a non-negotiable.”

Democrats maintain the SAVE Act is dead when it reaches the Senate. And if Republicans attach it to the government funding package, they add, it will result in a prolonged shutdown.

“The SAVE Act is not about securing our elections. It’s about voter suppression,” Schumer said Monday. “The SAVE Act seeks to disenfranchise millions of American citizens, take control of our elections, and fan the flames of election skepticism and denialism.”

Meanwhile, progressives are speaking out against the funding agreement because it does not include significant restrictions on ICE. The left is skeptical that the DHS negotiations in the Senate will amount to anything. And much of the party’s base is against it, including many up-and-coming Democratic senators who have been mentioned as possible 2028 presidential candidates.

“These guys killed two Americans in two and a half weeks,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told News themezone. “I think giving them more money without restrictions is a very dangerous thing.”

“We as Democrats have the power to stand up and be strong because Republicans are literally stealing our democracy and our constitutional rights before our very eyes,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said Sunday in an interview on MS NOW. “And if that doesn’t help us pick ourselves up, I honestly don’t know what else can.”

Still, there could be areas of agreement on ICE reform in the upcoming talks. Senate Republicans have expressed openness to some changes, including body cameras and additional training for immigration agents.

“I think we should make sure they have all the proper training and more training possible,” Schmitt added. “But like I said, the other proposals that Democrats have are aimed at stopping ICE from doing its job.”

But Democrats are not ruling out the idea of ​​shutting down DHS in two weeks if they don’t get what they want, pointing to Trump’s conciliatory tone in recent days as evidence that his arguments are reaching the public. Of course, a DHS shutdown wouldn’t end ICE’s work: Republicans funded it separately through their budget bill last year.

“He realizes that he’s being played with this, and that’s why he’s suddenly willing to negotiate,” Kaine said. “You know, the chances may not be 50/50, but we will do everything we can to get a deal if we can, and if we can’t get a reasonable deal, people won’t vote for it.”