Democrats and White House trade offers as shutdown of Homeland Security looms

WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders said late Monday that a proposal from the White House is ''incomplete and insufficient'' as they are demanding new restrictions on President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown just days before funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement 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., 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 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.

''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.

The funding issue came to a head 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.

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."

"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.

''The ball is in the Republicans' court,'' Jeffries said Monday.

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