Washington Examiner

Demos lay out immigration demands as Congress barrels toward shutdown


Democrats lay out immigration demands as Congress careens toward shutdown

Senate Democrats dug in Monday with fresh demands for restrictions against federal immigration officers in exchange for passing a tranche of government funding bills following a second deadly shooting in Minnesota by agents.

Stipulations from Democrats were abundant, as Congress barrels toward a Friday partial shutdown deadline and Republican leaders rebuffed calls for additional legal guardrails for agencies carrying out President Donald Trump’s sweeping deportation agenda.

Democrats are seeking to prohibit federal agents from conducting warrantless raids, racial profiling, and wearing masks, in addition to conditions that the administration drop its immigration operations in Minneapolis and conduct investigations into the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal agents.

But Democrats have yet to coalesce around a comprehensive list of official demands, even as they unified around the call for the funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, to be stripped from the government funding package that includes other government agencies and operations.

“We’re going to synthesize that into one list of, I think, very sane demands that are going to make both the American public safer,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) told reporters. “But also, some of these agents will be safer with accountability.”

Gallego, a border-state Democrat and Marine veteran, cited four main criteria in exchange for his support to help Republicans later this week overcome a 60-vote filibuster required to avert a partial shutdown: all agents wear body cameras, no warrantless searches, no racial profiling, and Border Patrol agents deployed to places such as Minneapolis and other cities far from the U.S.-Mexico border be returned to the southern border. Other provisions from a range of congressional Democrats also include no more detainment of U.S. citizens and targeting of blue cities and states that critics say are designed to inflict retribution against Trump’s political foes, such as Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).

The office of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) confirmed the chamber would “proceed as planned” without changes upon return Tuesday evening to advance the House-passed tranche of spending bills and urged Democrats to “find a path forward to join us before this week’s funding deadline hits.”

A Democratic leadership aide offered pushback, saying: “Republicans and the White House have reached out but have not yet raised any realistic solutions.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) speaks to reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

In the latest indicator of Trump’s efforts to quell backlash to his administration’s handling of the deaths of Good and Pretti, both U.S. citizens, Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino is reportedly leaving Minneapolis. Days earlier, prior to Pretti’s death that occurred over the weekend, sources told the Washington Examiner that Border Patrol agents were informed that their deployment to Minneapolis was likely to be extended into February.

But even if Democrats prevent additional funding from reaching ICE and other agencies housed under the DHS, Trump’s mega tax law from last year allocated $75 billion to ICE that lasts until 2029. Democrats acknowledge the administration would still have plenty of money to tap into but concede they have limited leverage to force policy concessions in the minority.

“It’s not my responsibility to make their jobs any easier, especially when they’re killing U.S. citizens on the streets of this country,” Gallego said of immigration enforcement officials.

Many Democrats, and even some Republicans, have made vague calls for “full” or “independent” investigations into Pretti’s death, but it is unclear what exactly that entails. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt distanced the president on Monday from inflammatory rhetoric and claims by senior administration officials that Pretti, who lawfully possessed a concealed handgun in the moments leading up to his death, was acting as a “domestic terrorist” with the intent to hurt federal agents.

KRISTI NOEM EXPECTED TO TESTIFY BEFORE SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE IN MARCH

Several senior officials are also expected to be grilled by Congress in the coming weeks and months amid the heightened scrutiny.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY) has requested public testimony from the heads of ICE, CBP, and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services by Feb. 12. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3, according to the office of panel chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA).



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