Democrats Plan To Shutdown ICE Funding Has Already Been Foiled

Democratic efforts to block funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a fight over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations have so far failed to derail ICE funding.

In July, Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, setting aside about $170 billion for immigration control and border security, including about $75 billion in additional funding for ICE, making it one of the most funded federal law enforcement agencies.

Even if parts of the federal government shut down at the end of the week, ICE and CBP operations in Minneapolis and across the country are expected to continue uninterrupted. ICE agents are classified as “excluded” workers, which allows them to remain on duty during a funding period, and the agency still has significant funds carried over from last year’s Trump-backed appropriations.

Although Democrats’ attempt to cut ICE funding was unsuccessful, outrage over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti — a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse killed by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis over the weekend — has heightened tensions in Congress.

It is simply a narrative construction. ICE is funded by OBBBA. If the D’s make demands of DHS, they will threaten air travel and storm cleanup. “Democrats support ice cream” will be the motto. If they want “meaningful policy change,” they will have to concede on sanctuary cities. https://t.co/eP7FvUE7gx

-Mike Fragoso (@mike_frags) January 26, 2026

The incident of Pretti’s death has sparked increased scrutiny of ICE and CBP operations nationwide, with Senate Democrats warning they will oppose the DHS funding bill unless it is reworked to include meaningful limits on immigration enforcement — an impasse that could help trigger a partial government shutdown as the funding deadline approaches. (RELATED: Minnesota judge threatens to hold ICE head in contempt)

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced in an article on

What is happening in Minnesota is appalling and unacceptable in any American city. Democrats sought common-sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but due to Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to…

– Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) January 24, 2026

Even though ICE would continue to operate during a shutdown, Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Congressional Progressive Caucus leader Texas Rep. Greg Casar, have argued since the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti that the funding bill goes beyond immigration enforcement and have demanded changes to DHS and ICE policies as a condition of their support.

On January 13, Casar urged Senate Democrats to insist on ICE reforms before voting for a major spending bill. (RELATED: ‘What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling’: Schumer vows Democrats won’t support ‘woefully inadequate’ DHS funding bill)

Casar laid out a series of non-negotiable demands for changes to ICE operations as part of any DHS funding bill, calling for federal immigration agents to withdraw from Minneapolis and end similar operations in other cities and independent investigations into any deaths involving federal agents, according to an interview with The Guardian.

This week, the Senate will debate whether to appropriate $10 billion for ICE. Keep in mind that the BBB gave ICE about $18.7 billion per year for 4 years. So even if we don’t vote to provide ICE with additional funding, ICE would still have 87% more funding this year than last year.

– Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) January 26, 2026

Both the White House and Republicans reached out to Senate Democrats on Sunday evening, but no realistic solutions have been offered so far, according to a PBS News report, citing an unnamed aide to Senate Democratic leadership.

Although the shooting sharply increased tensions in Congress, Republicans have resisted separating DHS funding from the broader spending package, and operations of ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are still expected to continue uninterrupted — in part because both agencies are funded as “essential” through carryovers.

The legislation also provides funding for agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) – particularly important as 12 states remain under disaster declaration – and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is already grappling with significant travel disruptions. Therefore, failure to pass the bill could have serious consequences for essential government services not related to immigration. (RELATED: Sen. Chris Murphy Almost Promises There Will Be Another Shutdown Because DHS Is ‘Murdering’ People)

A spokesperson for Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, when asked about ongoing negotiations with Democratic leaders, told the Daily Caller that Democrats have already acknowledged that ICE will continue to operate even if part of the government shuts down. He reiterated that funding is not limited to the fight against immigration.

“Democrats themselves have said for weeks that ICE would continue operations during a shutdown. But the DHS bill includes much more than that: FEMA, with 12 states under disaster declarations, and the TSA, as airports face the highest number of cancellations since Schumer’s shutdown, will be greatly affected. What Democrats want are policy changes, but they negotiated these appropriations bills themselves, and some House Democrats have supported appropriations for Homeland Security in the House, even after the Renee Good shooting,” the spokesperson said.

The caller contacted Schumer’s office to ask if he had any discussions with Republican leaders in the White House or Senate, but did not receive a response before publication.