Democrats, White House Remain at Odds Over DHS Funding Amid ICE Standoff

Negotiations continue as partial government shutdown enters fifth day

Published on Feb. 24, 2026

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The standoff between Democrats and the White House over Department of Homeland Security funding and immigration enforcement continued on Wednesday, with both sides refusing to back down from their demands. The partial government shutdown affecting DHS agencies like TSA, FEMA, and ICE has entered its fifth day, with the majority of DHS employees expected to work without pay. Democrats are pushing for reforms to ICE, including body cameras, judicial warrants, and stricter use-of-force policies, while the White House has rejected their proposals as "unserious." The impasse shows no signs of resolution as the two sides trade offers.

Why it matters

The funding fight over DHS highlights the deep partisan divide over immigration enforcement, with Democrats seeking to rein in what they see as overly aggressive tactics by ICE, while the White House remains steadfast in its support for the agency. The shutdown is impacting key homeland security functions, raising concerns about public safety and disaster response capabilities.

The details

The standoff centers on Democrats' demands for a range of new restrictions on ICE, including body cameras, judicial warrants for property entry, and stricter use-of-force policies. This follows incidents of alleged misconduct by ICE agents, including the fatal shootings of two American citizens in Minneapolis. The White House has rejected the Democrats' proposals as "unserious," while Democrats say the ball is in the administration's court to make concessions. Both sides have traded offers, but the details have not been publicly released.

  • The partial government shutdown affecting DHS agencies began on Saturday, February 18, 2026.
  • FEMA has paused almost all travel related to the agency's work, though travel related to disaster relief will continue.

The players

Hakeem Jeffries

House Minority Leader, who has remained firm that Democrats will not back away from their demands for reform.

Karoline Leavitt

White House press secretary, who called the Democrats' counteroffer "very unserious" and said the President has not had any direct conversations with Democratic lawmakers recently.

Donald Trump

The President, who had said he would be personally involved in the negotiations but has not yet spoken with Democrats, according to the White House.

Todd Lyons

The acting director of ICE, who said two of his agents appear to have made "untruthful statements" about a shooting incident in Minneapolis involving a Venezuelan migrant.

Julio Sosa-Celis

A Venezuelan migrant who was shot in the leg by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, an incident that was initially mischaracterized by DHS.

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What they’re saying

“We've been engaged in good faith negotiations with the Democrats … They sent over a counterproposal that, frankly, was very unserious. And we hope they get serious very soon because Americans are going to be impacted by this.”

— Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary (mycentraloregon.com)

“We've reiterated our perspective on the types of things that are absolutely necessary in order for a DHS funding bill to move forward, all anchored in this principle that ICE needs to conduct itself like every other law-enforcement agency in the country, and stop using taxpayer dollars to brutalize the American people.”

— Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader (mycentraloregon.com)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This funding standoff highlights the deep partisan divisions over immigration enforcement, with Democrats seeking to rein in what they see as overly aggressive tactics by ICE, while the White House remains steadfast in its support for the agency. The impasse shows no signs of resolution, and the partial government shutdown is impacting key homeland security functions, raising concerns about public safety and disaster response capabilities.