Immigration enforcement policies remain the central point of dispute as lawmakers continue negotiations over Department of Homeland Security funding.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Senate again failed to advance legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security, extending a partial shutdown that has continued since Feb. 13.
Although approximately 96 percent of the federal government has received appropriations for the current fiscal year, DHS operations remain partially unfunded as negotiations between lawmakers continue.
Democratic senators have said they will not support the funding measure unless changes are made to immigration enforcement practices, particularly policies involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations.
Major DHS enforcement agencies—including Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement—have continued operating during the shutdown.
The proposed funding bill included several major appropriations across the department.
Under the legislation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency would receive $5.7 billion, representing an $873 million increase compared with fiscal year 2025 levels, excluding the $26.367 billion already allocated to the Disaster Relief Fund.
The bill also proposed $3.25 billion in funding for the U.S. Secret Service, including $44 million to help plan and coordinate major upcoming National Special Security Events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the America250 celebrations, and the 2028 Summer and Paralympic Games scheduled for Los Angeles.
The Transportation Security Administration would receive $7.96 billion under the measure. That funding included $300 million for checkpoint property screening systems, along with full funding for exit-lane staffing, the Law Enforcement Officer Reimbursement Program, and the Canine Reimbursement Program.
An additional $13.9 million was included to reimburse airports installing explosive detection systems.
The legislation also proposed $2.6 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, including $40 million to continue election security initiatives first funded during fiscal year 2024.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would receive $122.9 million, including $112 million to support the E-Verify employment verification system and $10 million intended to reduce application processing backlogs.
Democratic lawmakers outlined a set of conditions they said would be required to secure their support for the bill.
The proposals followed two separate shootings in Minneapolis involving immigration enforcement agents that resulted in the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Among the proposals put forward were limits on immigration enforcement operations, including restricting actions to targeted investigations and requiring judicial warrants before agents enter private property.
Other proposed provisions included requiring immigration officers to verify citizenship status before placing individuals into immigration detention and establishing stricter warrant standards.
Democrats also proposed rules requiring immigration agents to clearly identify themselves during enforcement operations.
Under those proposals, officers would be required to display their agency affiliation, last name, and a unique identification number and provide the information verbally upon request.
Additional conditions would prohibit immigration enforcement actions at what lawmakers described as “sensitive locations,” including churches, schools, child-care centers, courts, medical facilities, and polling places.
Republican lawmakers and the White House have rejected those conditions.
On Feb. 18, the White House described a Democratic counterproposal for DHS funding as “very unserious.”
Current immigration enforcement procedures allow federal officers to rely on administrative warrants during operations.
Federal immigration agents are not currently required to wear body cameras. However, outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently said agents operating in Minneapolis would begin using body cameras following the incidents there.
Border policy adviser Tom Homan defended certain security measures used by immigration officers, including the use of masks in some situations.
“I don’t like the masks either, but because threats against ICE officers are up over 1,500 percent [and] actual assaults and threats are up over 8,000 percent, these men and women have to protect themselves,” Homan said during a February appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Homan also noted that federal law permits immigration agents to rely on administrative warrants during enforcement actions.
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