U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.Y.) holds a press conference after the Democratic Party’s weekly policy luncheon at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 3, 2026.
Annabelle Gordon Reuter
Democrats in both chambers of Congress announced their calls for immigration enforcement reform Wednesday as Congress races to avoid a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Under the law enacted Tuesday that reopens much of the government, DHS received only two weeks of stopgap funding. Democrats are currently holding off on introducing a year-round spending bill until Republicans agree on immigration enforcement reform. Senate Democrats removed a year-round spending bill for DHS from a broader funding package after two Americans were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both of New York, made their demands Wednesday at a news conference at the Capitol, surrounded by dozens of Democratic lawmakers. Democratic demands include: Mandating body cameras. Immigration officers will be prohibited from wearing masks. Tighten restrictions on warrants and end “patrol” patrols.
“When Americans see pictures of thugs beating people, shoving people, even shooting people, they say this is not America,” Schumer said. “It’s reminiscent of a dictatorship.”
Reaching agreement on changes to DHS procedures in the funding bill will be a difficult challenge for Congress. A spending bill would need 60 votes in the Senate to pass, meaning it would need Democratic support.
If DHS were to close, subordinate agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, and Coast Guard would also be affected.
Congressional Republicans have already ruled out requiring judicial warrants for immigration enforcement. Many immigration actions are carried out using administrative warrants. Others object to the idea that agents should be required to reveal their true identities.
“That’s not a path we should or should go down” regarding the warrant requirement, House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a news conference Tuesday. “We’re going to find a way to solve this problem, but we have to enforce our immigration laws.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Trump administration announced it would reduce the number of federal law enforcement officers in Minnesota by about 25% following criticism of overly aggressive behavior in the state.
