On February 14th, funding lapsed for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees many agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, and Border Protection. The agencies listed have been under large amounts of scrutiny regarding the Trump Administration’s handling of immigration, citing the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis last month.
The shutdown is occurring because congressional Democrats and Republicans failed to reach a deal to fund the Department through December. More importantly, Democrats have vowed not to vote in favor of funding the Department. Democrats are seeking changes to immigration enforcement, including a code of conduct for immigration agents, showing identification, and operating without racial profiling.
Even though the department has shut down, ICE is still funded through President Trump’s infamous “big, beautiful bill,” which means that deportations will continue, says The Hill. DHS has reported that over 675,000 migrants have been deported since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, as it was Trump’s centerpiece during his 2024 run for President. DHS also reported that approximately 1.9 million people “voluntarily self-deported.”
“They’re brutalizing everyday Americans and law-abiding immigrant families. They’re not targeting violent felons who are here illegally,” House Democrat Leader Hakeem Jeffries stated, retold by CBS.
Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma stated that he would support ICE agents wearing body cameras, but objected to the idea of officers removing their masks and identifying themselves.
“What are you going to do, expose their faces so you can intimidate their families? What we want is for ICE to be able to do their job. And we would love for local law enforcement and for states to cooperate with us.” Mullins said in a statement, reported by PBS.
As for the American people, about 90% of workers at the DHS will continue to work unpaid during the shutdown. The shutdown also affects the Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, whose workers will also go without pay until a funding agreement is reached between both political parties. Any other government-funded programs, such as SNAP, will be affected by this shutdown, as it is only over the Homeland Security department.
As of writing this, it has now been a week since DHS shut down, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. Lawmakers have been in recess since the shutdown, and if a deal doesn’t come together, they won’t return until next week. President Trump has spoken out against the Democrats’ demands for reform.
“I don’t like some of the things they’re asking for. We’re going to protect law enforcement. We are going to protect ICE.” Trump said on Monday, ABC reports.
Without support from both parties, a funding bill cannot be passed. There is much potential for the DHS to be shut down for a long period of time, and the only way to prevent that is through productive and informative conversations about the safety of our country.