‘Masks off, body cameras on for ICE’: Democrats make their demands clear to avoid another government shutdown

One of their primary demands is that federal agents take off their masks and identify themselves and obtain warrants for arrest.

ICE’s mask controversy

Since the immigrant crackdown began last year, federal agents from various agencies under the DHS, including ICE and Border Patrol, were regularly seen wearing facemasks, uniforms without badges, and using unmarked vehicles to carry out operations. While the DHS and Trump administration officials have defended the move, claiming that it was for the safety of the federal agents, critics have argued that the anonymity also takes away accountability, especially after the two fatal shootings in Minneapolis.

What Democrats want

Amid the administration’s immigration crackdown, Chuck Schumer said Democrats are asking the White House to “end roving patrols” in cities and coordinate with local law enforcement on immigration arrests, including requiring tighter rules for warrants. Democrats also want an enforceable code of conduct so agents are held accountable when they violate rules.

Schumer said agents should be required to have “masks off, body cameras on” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.

According to Senate Democrats, if their demands to rein in ICE are not met on Thursday, they are prepared to block the wide-ranging spending bill, denying Republicans the votes they need to pass it and triggering a shutdown at midnight on Friday.

Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, said on Wednesday that Democrats won’t provide needed votes until US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “reined in and overhauled.”

“The American people support law enforcement, they support border security, they do not support ICE terrorizing our streets and killing American citizens,” Schumer said.

The Democratic caucus is united in those “common sense reforms,” and the burden is on Republicans to accept them, Schumer said, as he has pushed for the Homeland spending to be separated out to avoid a broader shutdown.

Will there be another US government shutdown

There were some signs of possible progress as the White House has appeared open to trying to strike a deal with Democrats to avert a shutdown.

The two sides were talking as of Wednesday evening, according to a person familiar with the negotiations who requested anonymity to speak about the private talks.

One possible option discussed would be to strip the funding for the Homeland Security Department from the larger bill, as Schumer has requested, and extend it for a short period to allow time for negotiations, the person said. The rest of the bill would fund government agencies until September.

Still, with no agreement yet and an uncertain path ahead, the standoff threatened to plunge the country into another shutdown just two months after Democrats blocked a spending bill over expiring federal health care subsidies, a dispute that closed the government for 43 days as Republicans refused to negotiate.

That shutdown ended when a small group of moderate Democrats broke away to strike a deal with Republicans, but Democrats are more unified this time after the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated that he might be open to considering some of the Democrats’ demands, but he encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk and find an agreement.