Democratic leaders signaled they will largely oppose a Homeland Security funding bill that finances ICE, arguing the measure fails to deliver meaningful reforms after a controversial Minneapolis shooting. The bill holds ICE’s budget at about $10 billion, trims 5,500 detention beds and provides $20 million for body cameras, but many Democrats say that falls short. Leaders won’t whip the vote, and some Democrats are still expected to back the bill to avoid a funding lapse that could affect TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard.
Democrats Poised To Reject Homeland Security Bill Over ICE Reforms After Minneapolis Shooting
Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader.Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters(Photograph: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
Congressional Democrats are preparing to overwhelmingly oppose a Homeland Security spending bill that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), citing inadequate safeguards to rein in the agency after mounting outrage over aggressive enforcement actions — most recently a fatal shooting in Minneapolis.
At a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, caucus chair Pete Aguilar and whip Katherine Clark signaled they would vote against the bill, a stance expected to influence the bulk of the party’s 213-member House caucus. Party leaders said they would not enforce the position by whipping members, and a sufficient number of Democrats are still expected to vote for the measure to allow it to pass.
The bill contains a number of provisions Democrats helped secure: it holds ICE’s annual budget at roughly $10 billion, reduces certain enforcement and removal operations, cuts about 5,500 detention beds, and includes $20 million for procurement, deployment and operations of body-worn cameras for ICE agents. Despite those concessions, many Democrats say the reforms do not go far enough.
Anger within the party has intensified following the recent fatal shooting of Renee Good, a Minneapolis mother of three. "In the last 24 hours, we’ve heard our members speak loudly that ICE isn’t doing enough, these reforms aren’t doing enough. This lawlessness has to stop," Aguilar said after the meeting. "They are only doing this because the president of the United States wants to use them to terrorize communities, to terrorize U.S. citizens."
Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, urged colleagues to weigh the broader risks of defeating the bill. She warned that a lapse in Homeland Security funding could force TSA agents to work without pay, delay FEMA assistance and hamper the U.S. Coast Guard — consequences she argued could outweigh the bill’s shortcomings. DeLauro also noted ICE has received significant funding in prior legislation, referencing roughly $75 billion the agency secured in what she called the "One Big Beautiful Bill."
The leadership-versus-rank-and-file split highlights the balancing act Democrats face between responding to grassroots and local outrage over ICE actions and avoiding a damaging funding lapse that would disrupt multiple homeland security functions.
What’s next: The House is expected to bring the Homeland Security funding measure to a vote soon. Observers will watch whether leadership influence holds and how many Democrats cross party lines to support the bill.
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