With the deadline for Congress to pass another spending bill fast approaching, Democratic lawmakers are revolting against Republicans in the wake of the deadly shooting Saturday by federal immigration officers, pledging to hold up any spending measures that include funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“[I’m] not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime, given how this agency, these agencies are operating,” said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), NBC News reported Sunday.
The government shutdown ended last year after several Senate Democrats caved to Republicans’ demands, albeit with a temporary spending measure that required Congress to pass another spending bill by Friday, Jan. 30.
Republicans are proposing $64.4 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes both Border Patrol and ICE, but after Saturday’s deadly shooting, Democratic lawmakers appear ready to oppose any funding for federal immigration enforcement agencies, setting the stage for another potential government shutdown.
“When they’re killing two constituents in my state, and they’re taking 2-year-olds out of the arms of their mom, and they are taking an elder Hmong man out of his house and putting him out there in his underwear, and then figuring out they have the wrong man,” said Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), NBC News reported. “No, I am not voting for this funding.”
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Border Patrol agents beat and fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Saturday, with video of the incident spreading wildly on social media and sparking outrage across the nation.
Other Senate Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), have also suggested they would oppose additional funding for DHS.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling, and unacceptable in any American city,” Schumer said in a recent statement. “Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE. I will vote no.”
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