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 submitted over the weekend “included neither detail nor legislative text” and did not address “Americans’ concerns about ICE’s unlawful conduct.” The White House proposal has not been made public.
The Democrats’ statement comes as time is running out and another partial government shutdown threatens to begin on Saturday. Democrats’ demands include 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, RS.D., 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 “I hope they can find common ground here.”
But reaching an agreement on the thorny issue of immigration enforcement will be difficult, especially since grassroots lawmakers from both parties have been skeptical of finding common ground.
Republicans have resisted the Democrats’ demands and some have their own, including adding legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans can register to vote and restrictions on cities they say aren’t doing enough to combat 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 dime in Homeland Security funding until enforcement is scaled back.
“Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill can move forward,” Jeffries said earlier Monday. “Point. Point.”
Trump is dealing with Democrats
Congress is trying to renegotiate the DHS spending bill after Trump agreed to a Democratic request that it be separated from a larger spending measure that became law last week. That package extended Homeland Security funding to current levels only through Feb. 13, creating a short window for action while the two sides discuss new restrictions on ICE and other federal officers.
Democrats have called for new restrictions on ICE and other federal law enforcement after intensive care nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans have suggested new restrictions are needed. Renee Good was shot and killed by ICE agents on January 7th.
While he agreed to split the funding, Trump has not publicly responded to specific demands from Democrats.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said late last week that the Trump administration was willing to discuss some items on the Democrats’ list, but “others do not appear to be based on common sense and are non-starters for this administration.”
Democratic demands
Schumer and Jeffries said they want immigration officers to remove their masks, show identification and coordinate better with local authorities. They also called for a stricter use-of-force policy for federal officers, legal safeguards in detention centers and a ban on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.
Among other demands, Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, “improve warrant procedures and standards,” make sure the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant, and require that before a person can be detained, they must be verified as not a U.S. citizen.
Republicans said they supported the requirement that DHS officers have body-worn cameras — language that was in the original DHS bill — but balked at many of the Democrats’ other requests.
“Taking the masks off ICE officers and agents, the reason we can’t do that is it would put them in great harm, their families are at great risk because people are putting them on and targeting them,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday. “We need to talk about things that are reasonable and achievable.”
Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty said on “Fox News Sunday” that Democrats are “trying to motivate a radical left base.”
“The left has gone completely overboard and is threatening the safety and security of our agents so they can’t do their job,” Hagerty said.
Consequences of a shutdown
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’ll see more travel issues,” similar to last year’s 43-day government shutdown.
Lawmakers from 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 the idea, saying instead that 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 able to do another extension,” Thune said.
Many Democrats are unlikely to vote for another extension. But Republicans could win enough votes in both chambers from Democrats if they feel hopeful about 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.