House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) warned Friday that a lapse in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding was becoming increasingly likely, placing the blame squarely on President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for refusing to rein in Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Speaking to reporters, Jeffries said funding for the Coast Guard, FEMA, and TSA could expire at midnight on Saturday because Republicans have “zero interest” in bringing ICE under control. He stated that Americans have grown alarmed by ICE’s conduct and are demanding accountability, while Democrats are pushing reforms to ensure enforcement is fair, just, and humane.
Jeffries pointed to the brutal killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti as evidence that the current approach has gone off the rails, saying taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable—not to “brutalize or kill” people. He said dramatic changes are needed at the DHS, particularly within ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and warned that Republicans’ refusal to act would force a partial government shutdown.
Jeffries Draws The Line, Says ICE Needs To Be ‘Dramatically Reformed’
When asked by a reporter whether Congress should be working to prevent disruptions at such a massive agency that will impact millions of people, Jeffries said Democrats were ready to negotiate and “have a conversation with anyone, anytime, any place.” He called out House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for sending House Republicans home rather than working toward a solution, calling it a repeat of the “failed approach” that led to the “Trump-Republican” 43-day shutdown the previous fall.
Jeffries noted that, during that earlier shutdown, House Democrats held the line on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits—and ultimately prevailed with a three-year extension. He suggested the same dynamic would play out again, stating that Republicans’ strategy “didn’t work out then” and “is not going to work out now.”
Drawing what he called a hard line, Jeffries concluded that Democrats would not back down from their demand: ICE, he said, must be “dramatically reformed. Period. Full stop.”
