Update on the latest negotiations to keep the Department of Homeland Security funded beyond next Friday, which requires at least 60 votes to pass unless the filibuster is done away with.
Recall: Congress passed five out of six appropriations packages on Feb. 3, ending a brief partial government shutdown that began on Jan. 31 – while giving DHS, which controls ICE, a lifeline until Feb. 13 as Democrats and Republicans hash out reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after two white knight protesters were shot while interfering with lawful ICE operations.’
Democrats have a list of 10 ‘non-negotiable’ reforms that they insist must be included in any DHS funding bill, including;
- Requiring judicial warrants signed by a judge before agents can make arrests in homes or private spaces.
- Mandating body-worn cameras for all enforcement actions – though serious pushback has emerged from the left over fears that facial recognition technology will be used to catalogue and track protesters.
- Democratic lawmakers are now seeking to ban ICE and CBP from using facial recognition and other biometric ID technologies altogether. [ZH: Things are always interesting when the shoe is on the other foot, but why stop at DHS / CBP? Maybe protect all of us from this shit?]
- Prohibiting agents from wearing masks or face coverings during operations to ensure identification.
- Implementing new use-of-force standards to prevent excessive violence.
- Ending racial profiling in enforcement activities.
- Requiring clear identification of DHS officers (e.g., visible badges and agency markings).
- Other provisions for “real accountability,” such as oversight mechanisms and restrictions on certain tactics.
Republicans are pushing to attach their own priorities to the DHS bill – primarily the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and presentation of ID to cast ballots.
The SAVE Act, which was passed by the House in April and is currently stalled in the Senate – would require voters to present an eligible photo ID, while also requiring proof of citizenship be presented in person when registering to vote, such as a passport or birth certificate. It would also require states to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.
GOP leaders like Speaker Johnson and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna arguing it’s necessary for election integrity. Some Republicans also want restrictions on “sanctuary cities” that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, and broader measures to crack down on illegal immigration.