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Dems: WH ICE Offer 'Insufficient' 02/10 06:11
Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is "incomplete and
insufficient" as they are demanding new restrictions on President Donald
Trump's immigration crackdown and threatening a shutdown of the Homeland
Security Department.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is
"incomplete and insufficient" as they are demanding new restrictions on
President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and threatening a shutdown of
the Homeland Security Department.
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 does not address "the concerns Americans have about
ICE's lawless conduct." The White House proposal was not released publicly.
The Democrats' statement comes as time is running short, 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 a stop 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, R-S.D., had expressed
optimism about the rare negotiations between Democrats and the White House,
saying there was "forward progress."
Thune said it was a good sign that the two sides were trading papers, and
"hopefully they can find some common ground here."
But coming to an agreement on the charged issue of immigration enforcement
will be difficult, especially as rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties were
skeptical about finding common ground.
Republicans have balked at the Democrats' requests and some have demands of
their own, including the addition of legislation that would require proof of
citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities that
they say do not do enough to crack down on illegal immigration.
And many Democrats who are furious about Immigration and Customs
Enforcement's aggressive crackdown 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 moves 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 that it be separated out 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 brief window for action as the
two parties discuss new restrictions on ICE and other federal officers.
Democrats made the demands for new restrictions on ICE and other federal law
enforcement after ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by a U.S. Border
Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans suggested that
new restrictions were necessary. Renee Good was shot by ICE agents on Jan. 7.
While he agreed to separate the funding, Trump has not publicly responded to
the Democrats' specific demands.
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 like they are grounded in any common sense, and they are
nonstarters for this administration."
Democratic demands
Schumer and Jeffries have said they want immigration officers to remove
their masks, to show identification and to better coordinate with local
authorities. They have also demanded a stricter use-of-force policy for the
federal officers, legal safeguards at detention centers and a prohibition on
tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.
Among other demands, Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate
arrests, "improve warrant procedures and standards," ensure the law is clear
that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and
require that before a person can be detained, it's verified that the person is
not a U.S. citizen.
Republicans have said they support the requirement for DHS officers to have
body-worn cameras -- language that was in the original DHS bill -- but have
balked at many of the other Democratic asks.
"Taking the masks off ICE officers and agents, the reason we can't do that
is that it would subject them to great harm, their families at great risk
because people are doxing them and targeting them," said House Speaker Mike
Johnson, R-La., on Monday. "We've got 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 they're threatening the safety
and security of our agents so they cannot do their job," Hagerty said.
Consequences of a shutdown
In addition to ICE and U.S. 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 closure last year.
Lawmakers in both parties have suggested they could separate out funding for
ICE and Border Patrol and pass the rest of it by Friday. But Thune has been
cool to that idea, saying instead that Congress should pass another short-term
extension for all of DHS while they negotiate the possible new restrictions.
"If there's additional time that's needed, then hopefully Democrats would 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 chambers from Democrats if they feel
hopeful about negotiations.
"The ball is in the Republicans' court," Jeffries said Monday.
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