WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that demands by Democrats for new restrictions on federal immigration officers are "unrealistic" and warned the Department of Homeland Security will shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House.
Democrats say they will not vote for a DHS spending bill when funding runs out unless there are changes at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies after federal agents shot and killed two protesters in Minneapolis last month.
The Democratic leaders, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, released an expanded list of 10 detailed proposals Wednesday night for restraining President Donald Trump's aggressive campaign of immigration enforcement. Among the demands are a requirement for judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use of force standards and a stop to racial profiling.
Democrats note that few, if any, other law enforcement agencies routinely mask themselves in the U.S.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., arrives for the Senate Prayer Breakfast on Thursday at the Capitol in Washington.
Thune, R-S.D., said most of the demands are "very unrealistic and unserious" and called on Democrats to negotiate.
"This is not a blank check situation where Republicans just do agree to a list of Democrat demands," he said. "The only way to get reforms to ICE is to agree to a bill."
Schumer, D-N.Y., said he is "astounded to hear" Republicans say his party's proposals were political or unworkable.
"It's about people's basic rights, it's about people's safety," Schumer said. If Republicans do not like the ideas, he said, "they need to explain why."
A DHS shutdown appeared increasingly likely, starting Feb. 14. As of now, Thune said, "we aren't anywhere close to having any sort of an agreement."
In addition to ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the homeland security bill includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.
If DHS shuts down, Thune said, "there's a very good chance we could see more travel problems" similar to the 43-day government closure last year.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks Thursday during a TV news interview at the Capitol in Washington.
Dem demands
Schumer and Jeffries, D-N.Y., made several demands, including no masks for officers, judicial warrants and better federal coordination with local authorities. The list they released Wednesday night added several new items, including a stricter use of force policy, legal safeguards at detention centers and a prohibition on tracking protesters with body-worn cameras.
Democrats say Congress should end indiscriminate arrests, "improve warrant procedures and standards," ensure the law is clear that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant and require that before a person can be detained, it's verified that the person is not a U.S. citizen.
They also want an end to racial profiling, saying DHS officers should be prohibited from stopping, questioning or searching people "based on an individual's presence at certain locations, their job, their spoken language and accent or their race and ethnicity."
For officers conducting immigration enforcement, Democrats say that in addition to officers taking off their masks and showing identification, DHS should regulate and standardize uniforms and equipment to bring them in line with other law enforcement agencies.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents walk through a gas station Thursday in Minneapolis.
Republican pushback
Schumer called it a "gut check moment for Congress" as the immigration enforcement operations rocked Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. Republicans were dismissive.
Wyoming's John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican senator, said the demands are "radical and extreme."
Sen. Katie Britt, who is helping lead negotiations, said it was "a ridiculous Christmas list of demands."
"This is NOT negotiating in good faith, and it's NOT what the American people want," said Britt, R-Ala.
Last funding bill
Congress is trying to renegotiate the DHS spending bill after Trump last week agreed to a Democratic request that it be separated from a larger spending measure and extended at current levels for two weeks while the two parties negotiate.
Thune has encouraged Democrats and the White House to talk. It is unclear whether they are or whether Democrats would be willing to back down on their demands.
Some Republicans have demands of their own, including adding legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities that they say do not do enough to crack down on illegal immigration.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said it is up to Republicans to ensure the government doesn't shut down because they are in charge.
"The American people want this abuse to stop," Murphy said.
House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks at a Monday news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
Shutdown pain
Other lawmakers are searching for options to prevent another partial shutdown.
One idea being floated is to essentially fund some of the other agencies within DHS — the Coast Guard, airport operations under TSA and disaster assistance from FEMA.
"Why not take that off the table?" said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., whose state is in need of FEMA funds from recent disasters.
ICE is expected to receive about $10 billion in the annual appropriations bill, a fraction of the $175 billion-plus for homeland security for the administration's mass deportation agenda.
