House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Sunday that Democrats will not support reopening the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) without major reforms to immigration enforcement, as the partial government shutdown tied to the dispute continues.
Speaking with Ed O’Keefe on CBS’ Face the Nation, Jeffries defended a list of Democratic demands that include requiring federal immigration enforcement agents to show identification, wear body cameras, remove masks, avoid racial profiling, and obtain judicial warrants before entering private property.
Jeffries framed the standoff as a matter of basic accountability and public safety.
“Our value proposition is simple,” he said. “Taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not brutalize or kill them,” referencing the recent killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Jeffries Continues To Call For ICE Reforms Amid DHS Shutdown
Jeffries stated that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is “totally out of control” and must undergo “dramatic,” “bold,” and “transformational” changes before any DHS funding bill can move forward. While he said Democrats are willing to engage in good-faith negotiations, Jeffries stressed that core reforms—such as requiring judicial warrants and protecting sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, houses of worship, and polling sites—are essential.
Jeffries also called for independent investigations into alleged misconduct of federal immigration enforcement agents, stating that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi cannot be trusted to investigate their own agencies.
He added that immigration enforcement should focus on violent criminals, not law-abiding immigrant families, pointing out that current tactics contradict what President Donald Trump promised voters.
O’Keefe noted that government data shows about 14 percent of detainees had violent criminal records, while roughly 60 percent had some type of criminal record. He also pointed to claims from immigration officials that assaults against ICE officers have risen sharply, which Republicans cite as justification for allowing agents to wear masks.
When asked by O’Keefe about the upcoming State of the Union, Jeffries declined to speculate on whether it should proceed if the shutdown continues, but he placed the blame squarely on Republicans.
“The administration and Republicans have made a clear decision that they would rather shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard, and shut down TSA than enact the type of dramatic reforms necessary,” he stated. “Why is it that ICE agents who are untrained are being unleashed on American communities with this type of lawlessness, violence, and brutality? Unacceptable, unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”
