When it comes to reining in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, something is better than nothing. Yet House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) seems to care more about showing that he’s fighting President Donald Trump than actually enacting needed reforms.
Democrats have raised valid questions about the training and oversight of ICE agents following the killing of Renée Good in Minneapolis, and House negotiators coalesced around a compromise bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security.
The legislation must pass before the end of January to avert another government shutdown. This bipartisan appropriations package would keep ICE funding steady while adding more oversight of its operations. It would reduce the budget for enforcement and removals while adding money for conflict de-escalation training and independent oversight of detention facilities.
Another win in the compromise is $20 million for the purchase of body cameras for DHS agents to wear when interacting with the public. As Americans grow wary of masked ICE agents’ secretive deportations tactics, body cameras are something everyone should be able to get behind. Having this footage will make it easier to hold ICE accountable when things go wrong while giving the agency a tool to exonerate agents if they are falsely accused.
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who helped negotiate the spending compromise, argues that it’s better to secure some oversight provisions than falling back to what’s called a continuing resolution. That would keep funding levels in place without any reforms. So-called “C.R.s” also give the administration more flexibility in how to allocate money.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, pointed out more is at stake than just ICE’s budget. “If we allow a lapse in funding, TSA agents will be forced to work without pay, FEMA assistance could be delayed, and the U.S. Coast Guard will be adversely affected,” she said in a statement. Meanwhile, ICE’s operations would continue without any changes thanks to $75 billion that was allocated in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Yet most House Democrats are preparing to vote against the compromise when it comes to the floor on Thursday. This includes Jeffries, who claims it wouldn’t do enough to thwart Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Meanwhile, some Republican members have voiced frustration with the compromise for going too far the other direction, making its passage without Democratic votes uncertain, given the GOP’s dwindling majority in the House.
If this spending compromise fails, Democratic resistance will backfire. If Congress defaults to a C.R., because there’s little appetite for another shutdown, none of the restrictions Democrats secured in the compromise will take effect. Voting against the bill might feel like a satisfying way for progressives to register discontent with Trump — and get booked on cable TV — but it will ultimately enable exactly what they say they are trying to stop.
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