The White House’s resistance to reforming ICE prolongs the Department of Homeland Security shutdown

Negotiations to reform U.S. immigration enforcement are stalled with no sign of an agreement in the near future. The White House and Democrats have exchanged several proposals to limit the powers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol agents, who are responsible for aggressive crackdowns against undocumented immigrants and for the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. But the positions of both sides are “far apart,” according to White House sources. As a result of this political standoff, the Department of Homeland Security has been without funding for six days and is likely to remain so until the end of the month.

Congress is in recess for a week following the Presidents’ Day holiday on Monday. Lawmakers have returned to their districts, and a large contingent of representatives from both parties traveled to Europe to attend the Munich Security Conference. Therefore, even in the unlikely event of a last-minute agreement, the House would be unable to convene to ratify it. The shutdown is therefore expected to continue at least until the end of February.

The Trump administration’s latest position on the negotiations was announced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday: “Last night, they sent over a counterproposal that frankly was very unserious, and we hope they get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted,” she said during the weekly press briefing.

Shortly afterward, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declared: “The ball is back in the court of the White House because they have our most recent response, and we await reaction from them.”

The two statements highlight the vast distance between the two parties when it comes to reforming the operations of the immigration police. Their inability to reach an agreement has triggered a budget impasse at the Department of Homeland Security. Kristi Noem, who heads the department, has become the target of criticism, and calls for her removal are growing louder.

Several agencies under Homeland Security, such as the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is responsible for managing airports and train stations, have been operating without funding since last Saturday, when the appropriations law, which provides resources for these agencies, expired without being renewed.

The definitive rupture affecting the Department of Homeland Security’s budget occurred after the killing last January in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti, a 37‑year‑old nurse, at the hands of immigration agents. His death came just two weeks after other federal agents shot Renée Good, a 37‑year‑old U.S. citizen, at point‑blank range, killing her instantly. The aggressive tactics of these agencies have sparked a wave of outrage across the country.

Democrats called for immigration reform to limit the power of ICE and Border Patrol. They want to ban the use of police masks, require agents to be identifiable, mandate body cameras, end random raids, and require judicial warrants for arrests and for entering private property. They also want to prohibit raids near schools, hospitals, and other public facilities — considered “sensitive locations” where arrests were not allowed until Trump returned to power and eliminated the rule. On Monday night, Senate Democrats sent a document outlining these demands to the White House. Not even 24 hours had passed before the Trump administration rejected them.

“It is our view that immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, it should be just, and it should be humane,” said Jeffries at a press conference at the Capitol. “That’s not what’s happening right now in the United States of America, and that’s why ICE needs to be reformed in a dramatic, bold, meaningful and transformational manner. And if that doesn’t happen, the DHS funding bill will not move forward.”

A negotiation that was supposed to be expedited to prevent thousands of officials from going without pay is turning into an exchange of accusations. “Democrats are the reason that the Department of Homeland Security is currently shut down,” Leavitt said Wednesday from the White House. “They have chosen to act against the American people for political reasons and now we have FEMA workers, the men and women of the United States Coast Guard, the men and women of TSA, who keep our airports moving, who will be working without paychecks for no good reason other than the Democrats wanting to pick a fight with Donald Trump, and the president thinks that is irresponsible and despicable.”

“These are all demands that have strong support with the American people and they remain lines in the sand for us because we’re standing up for everyday Americans, for American citizens and for law-abiding immigrant families who are being violently targeted by an ICE agency that is completely and totally out of control,” Jeffries responded.

The Department of Homeland Security has a staff of approximately 270,000 employees. When a budget shutdown of this nature occurs, the administration furloughs non-essential personnel — about 50,000 federal employees in this case — without pay. The remaining employees, considered essential for their work in ensuring national security, are required to report to work, but they also will not be paid for as long as their agency remains without funding.

Some agencies have accumulated cash reserves and will be able to continue paying their employees for a few days, but if the shutdown lasts more than a week, they will run out of funds to cover payroll. Since salaries are paid every two weeks, Homeland Security employees are expected to stop receiving their paychecks starting in early March if the shutdown continues.

What’s more, the Homeland Security budget cuts barely affect ICE and the Border Patrol, the two agencies at the center of the confrontation between the White House and the Democrats. The Trump Administration passed the Big Beautiful Bill last year, which provided additional funding to these law enforcement agencies: $75 billion more for ICE and $65 billion more for the Border Patrol.

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