As predicted, Hakeem Jeffries couldn't keep his caucus united on the "abolish ICE" demand. Twenty-one House Democrats voted to fund the Department of Homeland Security today, passing the Senate's two-week CR.
Axios reports that the issue has torn the Democrats asunder, and will continue to do so:
More than 20 House Democrats voted with Republicans on Tuesday to reopen the government and keep the Department of Homeland Security funded for two weeks.
Why it matters: The vote created harsh divisions among Democrats, some of whom argued that the party should use the partial shutdown as leverage to force drastic reforms of ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
- Many Democrats also felt considerable apprehension about the optics of voting for even short-term DHS funding without strings attached following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti.
- But several members of leadership argued that it would be bad strategy to allow the government to stay shut down, with other lawmakers saying their districts need agencies like FEMA to be funded.
Jeffries had spoken out against any Democrat support for the bill, demanding more concessions first, so this is an embarrassment. The humiliation doesn't end there for Jeffries, either. The final vote on the bill was 217-214, even with 21 House Dems voting for passage. Why?
Most Republicans voted for the package, with 21 mostly right-wing GOP lawmakers defecting in protest of stripping out the full-year DHS appropriations bill, which previously passed the House.
In other words, Democrats ended up rescuing DHS and ICE funding. Does anyone wonder what that will look like to the radicals on the Left pushing the "ICE Out" campaign?
That sets the stage for the negotiations for the full appropriation, with a two-week deadline on this funding. Jeffries and Chuck Schumer want new restrictions on arrest powers for ICE, which Republicans refuse, although both the GOP and the Trump administration have granted other concessions. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has already ordered all ICE and Border Patrol personnel to wear body cams as soon as they can be purchased and distributed, a move that is long overdue anyway. Other than the demand for arrests only on existing warrants, the rest of the demands appear negotiable:
Democrats want immigration agents to be required to wear body cameras and carry identification and are seeking higher legal thresholds for arrests and searches. They want an end to roving immigration enforcement patrols. The Democrats also want to ensure that federal agents are held to the same use-of-force policies that apply to other police forces and to be held accountable for violations, including through independent investigations.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement ”needs to be reined in,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.). “They are out of control.”
Republicans are demanding a concession in exchange on "sanctuary" claims:
Republicans have pushed back on some demands, particularly on what the standard should be for warrants, with some also seeking a crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities, which resist cooperating with some enforcement efforts.
Two weeks may be a small window for these talks, but the vote today makes it clear that Democrats don't have much leverage. DHS runs a number of agencies, including TSA and FEMA, which House Dems can't really afford to derail twice in the same session of Congress. Those agencies have real local impacts, and with the midterm election processes spinning up, voters will have less problem recalling those impacts when they go into the voting booth.
Also: the more success Tom Homan has in lowering the temperature in Minnesota, the less leverage that the radicals will have in Congress. Homan's appointment has already given Donald Trump and Mike Johnson some breathing room here. Another two weeks of reasonable coordination, and House Democrats will likely want to get back to "affordability." American voters want immigration law enforced, and they won't be happy to lose air travel and emergency responses just because the radicals want to protect criminal illegal aliens ... and at least 21 House Dems have already figured that much out.
Editor’s Note: Democrat politicians and their radical supporters will do everything they can to interfere with and threaten ICE agents enforcing our immigration laws.
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