Democrats Issue Demands to Avoid Government Shutdown Over ICE
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democrats revealed a set of demands on Wednesday to overhaul U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tying the changes to a must-pass spending bill as Congress raced toward a partial government shutdown that could begin early Saturday, according to Time. The demands come amid heightened tensions surrounding federal immigration enforcement, particularly in the wake of recent events in Minneapolis.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, stated that his party had coalesced around three legislative objectives they deemed necessary to rein in ICE, which they accuse of operating with little accountability under President Donald Trump, Time reported. These demands include tightening ICE's warrant requirements, introducing a uniformed code of conduct for its agents, and requiring all ICE agents to be unmasked and equipped with operating body cameras.
"We want to end roving patrols," Schumer said, laying out Democrats' first demand, according to Time.
The move comes as activists are calling for a nationwide day of no school, no work, and no shopping on Friday, January 30, to protest President Trump's immigration crackdown following the fatal shootings of two people by federal agents in Minneapolis, Time reported. The "National Shutdown" campaign website stated, "The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country – to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN," according to Time.
Thousands of Minnesotans took to the streets, and hundreds of businesses shuttered last Friday in a similar general strike to call for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the state after an ICE officer shot 37-year-old Renee Good earlier in the month, Time reported.
President Trump has also weighed in on the issue, accusing Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of breaking the law after Frey stated that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, according to Time. "Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday in response, Time reported.
Frey made the comment in a social media post the previous day, saying he had made it clear to White House border czar Tom Homan, who Trump dispatched to Minneapolis to take over his Administration's immigration operations in the area, that local officers would not carry out federal immigration enforcement, according to Time.
The current status of the spending bill and the likelihood of a government shutdown remain uncertain as negotiations continue between Democrats and Republicans. The outcome will depend on whether both sides can reach a compromise on the contentious issue of immigration enforcement and the role of ICE.
Discussion
Join the conversation
Be the first to comment