With just over a week until the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) funding deadline, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have issued a sweeping list of 10 demands that Democrats say must be met in exchange for keeping the department funded past Feb. 13.
The joint proposal, announced Wednesday, centers on major restrictions to federal immigration enforcement — a move that has drawn fierce pushback from Republicans and set the stage for another high-stakes budget fight with President Trump and GOP leadership.
Among the Democrats’ conditions: barring DHS officers from entering private property without judicial warrants, prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing masks, and requiring them to display visible name tags and ID numbers. The list also includes new limits on where agents can operate, a national “reasonable use of force” standard, and mandates for body-worn cameras across all federal enforcement personnel.
The full list includes:
- Bar DHS officers from entering private property without a judicial warrant.
- Ban ICE and immigration officers from wearing masks.
- Require all officers to display their name, ID number, and agency.
- Restrict operations near schools, churches, polling places, medical and child-care facilities.
- Prohibit enforcement actions based on race, ethnicity, language, or accent.
- Pass a national “reasonable use of force” policy.
- Allow state and local governments to investigate and prosecute excessive-force cases.
- Allow states to sue DHS for misconduct.
- Mandate body cameras for all DHS officers.
- Regulate and standardize officer uniforms and equipment.
Schumer and Jeffries framed the plan as necessary reform after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens—nurse Alex Pretti and mother Renee Good —by federal agents during immigration operations in Minneapolis.
“Federal immigration agents cannot continue to cause chaos in our cities while using taxpayer money that should be used to make life more affordable for working families,” the pair wrote in a letter to congressional leaders. “The American people rightfully expect their elected representatives to take action to rein in ICE and ensure no more lives are lost.”
The timing of the proposal comes as Democrats link DHS funding to accountability for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and her handling of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
But Republicans are calling the plan a political stunt designed to appease the progressive base.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) blasted the list as an “ultimatum,” accusing Democrats of refusing to negotiate in good faith.
“They put out a list of demands yesterday,” Thune said on the Senate floor. “Our folks have tried to sit down with them, to reach an agreement with the White House. They’re not engaging.”
Thune also criticized Democrats for setting an “impossible timeline” with the Feb. 13 deadline and warned that their strategy risks “tying up essential services” such as FEMA, the Coast Guard, and TSA.
The DHS remains the only major federal department without full-year funding, after Congress passed a temporary measure last week to end the partial government shutdown. President Donald Trump signed that bill Tuesday, extending DHS funding only until Feb. 13 while fully funding the rest of the government through September 30.
Republicans argue that even if DHS funding lapses, immigration operations will continue thanks to prior allocations under last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which included $75 billion for ICE and $65 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has already rejected many of the Democratic demands, especially those related to masking, warrants, and restrictions on federal operations. “They’re not serious proposals,” Johnson said earlier this week.
For now, both sides appear far apart. Thune and Johnson have urged Democrats to abandon what they call an “ideological wish list,” while Schumer and Jeffries are holding firm.
With the Feb. 13 deadline fast approaching, a partial shutdown of the DHS — the agency responsible for national security, emergency management, and airport safety — remains a distinct possibility if neither side yields.
