Dems Make Counteroffer on DHS Reforms as Shutdown Continues

U.S. Department of Homeland Security emblem on wall.

Democrats are using a DHS shutdown to force new restrictions on ICE, raising a familiar question for voters: who gets protected—law-abiding Americans and frontline agents, or Washington’s latest political demands?

Story Snapshot

DHS funding lapsed on Saturday, February 15, 2026, triggering a partial shutdown focused on Homeland Security functions.
Senate Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer and backed by House Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, sent a counteroffer tying DHS funding to a package of ICE “accountability” reforms.
Republicans and the Trump administration say key Democratic demands could hinder detaining and deporting dangerous illegal aliens and raise officer-safety concerns.
ICE enforcement is largely continuing because it has separate funding, reducing Democrats’ leverage while other DHS components feel the squeeze.

Shutdown pressure hits DHS, even as ICE keeps operating

DHS entered a partial shutdown after funding lapsed February 15, with talks still unresolved as of February 17 and a key deadline approaching Friday, February 21. The shutdown is not a full federal stoppage, but it affects major homeland-security functions tied to daily life and national readiness, including agencies such as TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA. Congress has also been on recess, complicating rapid negotiations and increasing reliance on leadership-level bargaining.

ICE, the agency Democrats are targeting, is largely insulated from the funding lapse because of roughly $75 billion in separate funding approved in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” according to reporting cited across outlets. That structure matters politically: the pressure of a shutdown may land more on the traveling public and other DHS missions than on the ICE operations Democrats want reworked. It also means the dispute is as much about policy direction and leverage as immediate enforcement capacity.

What Democrats are demanding in their ICE counteroffer

Democratic leaders say their counteroffer is designed to impose standards they argue are already normal for many state and local police departments. Their package has been framed around accountability measures and use-of-force standards for federal immigration agents, as well as identification-related requirements. Democrats have pointed to a set of proposals they describe as “common-sense,” while also arguing that ICE should not be treated as a special class of law enforcement operating under different rules than others.

The push gained momentum after two fatal Minneapolis incidents involving federal immigration enforcement. Renée Good, a mother of three, was fatally shot on January 7, and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, was killed in a January 24 shooting involving federal law enforcement. Democrats have cited these events as justification for tightening rules governing federal agents. What remains less clear publicly is the full, line-by-line legislative text that each side would accept, a key sticking point in the stalemate.

Republican and Trump White House objections focus on enforcement and safety

Republicans and the Trump administration have responded that several Democratic demands could make it harder to detain and deport dangerous illegal aliens, a core priority of the current White House and a central public-safety concern for many voters. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has signaled Republicans want to keep conversations moving while resisting measures they view as operational constraints. Democrats, meanwhile, rejected a GOP counterproposal as “incomplete and insufficient,” saying they needed more detail.

One of the most contentious items has been a proposed mask-related rule affecting agents during enforcement operations. White House Border Czar Tom Homan has argued agents sometimes need masks for personal safety, citing threats and assault risks. That dispute underscores the practical challenge in Washington’s negotiation: writing rules that satisfy calls for transparency without turning enforcement into a bureaucratic obstacle course that benefits criminals, cartels, or those looking to evade lawful detention and removal.

What’s at stake for Americans watching immigration and government power

For conservative voters, the fight lands at the intersection of limited government and effective government: oversight can be legitimate, but using a shutdown to force policy concessions raises alarms about politicizing national security functions. With ICE continuing operations due to separate funding, the shutdown’s immediate pain is more likely to show up in other DHS missions and in federal workers’ pay uncertainty. That imbalance could backfire on the argument that this is about urgent reform rather than political theater.

The next milestones are close. Negotiators face the February 21 deadline for a DHS funding resolution, with lawmakers scheduled to return to Washington soon after. President Trump has indicated he would meet with Democrats while also opposing some of their demands, and he has signaled the State of the Union address will proceed regardless of shutdown status. With limited public detail on the GOP counteroffer, outside observers have an incomplete view of what a final compromise could look like.

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If Congress does land a deal, it could set a precedent for how federal immigration enforcement is regulated—either bringing ICE closer to the accountability model Democrats favor or preserving the operational flexibility Republicans say is necessary to remove dangerous illegal aliens. For Americans concerned about constitutional governance, the episode is also a reminder that shutdown brinkmanship can be used to extract policy changes that might not pass through normal debate. For now, the impasse remains unresolved.