Democrats say White House offer on ICE is 'insufficient' as Homeland
Security funding set to expire
[February 10, 2026]
By MARY CLARE JALONICK, KEVIN FREKING and SEUNG MIN KIM
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.”
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, speaks during
a news conference as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
listens, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP
Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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.
___
Associated Press writers Joey Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro
contributed to this report.
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