Government shutdown ends as Trump signs bill, but DHS funding deadline looms
President Donald Trump has signed legislation ending the partial government shutdown that started Friday at midnight. The legislation Trump signed funds agencies, including the Departments of State, Treasury and War and others, through the end of September and the end of the fiscal year. However, it only funds the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through Feb. 13, meaning Republicans and Democrats will be forced to work together to secure a longer-term funding plan for the agency. While the House had previously passed funding bills to keep the government open through the end of September, Democrats failed to get on board with the measures in response to Trump’s ramped-up immigration efforts in Minneapolis. DHS announced Operation Metro Surge in December 2025 to dispatch thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents into the city. SENATE REPUBLICANS TEE UP KEY SHUTDOWN TEST VOTE AS DEMOCRATS DIG IN ON DHS FUNDING As a result, Senate Democrats refused to get behind the deal due to its funding for DHS after two Customs and Border Protection agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, while he was recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis in January. Ultimately, the Senate passed the compromise spending measure Friday that would fund key agencies, but the House was out of session and couldn’t pass its version of the measure in time to prevent a partial government shutdown. The House ultimately passed the compromise deal Tuesday by a 217–214 margin. The most recent shutdown comes on the heels of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history in fall 2025, where the government remained shuttered for more than 40 days in October and November 2025. On Nov. 12, 2025, Trump signed legislation that would continue to fund the government at the same levels during fiscal year 2025 through Jan. 30 to provide additional time to finalize a longer appropriations measure for fiscal year 2026.
GOP senator jabs Jeffries as ‘butt hurt’ over Trump-Schumer deal
A Senate Republican suggested Wednesday that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., had his feelings hurt by not being included in the Trump-Schumer deal to fund the government. The House passed the five-bill funding package, along with a two-week funding extension for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on Tuesday. Jeffries and most House Democrats, save for 21, voted against it as the partial government shutdown entered its fourth day. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said it was because Jeffries was “butt hurt” that he was not looped into the deal brokered between Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and President Donald Trump. HOUSE SENDS BILL ENDING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN TO TRUMP’S DESK AFTER 21 DEMS BREAK WITH JEFFRIES “He’s butt hurt that President Trump didn’t call him, too,” Marshall told Fox News Digital. “But I think that’s on Schumer.” Marshall described the scene in the Oval Office last week, where top-ranking Senate Republicans met with Trump as the funding deadline neared, and Senate Democrats were digging in deeper into their demands to renegotiate the DHS funding bill. “The president says, ‘Get Schumer on the phone.’ They get Schumer on the phone. They broker a deal,” Marshall said. SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH FOR HOUSE GOP REBELLION AGAINST FUNDING PACKAGE, VOTER ID LEGISLATION “So really, it’s on Schumer that he agreed to this deal, really, before bringing Hakeem in,” he continued. “And really it comes down to that Hakeem’s feelings are butt hurt, and to him, he’s fighting for his political life and really struggling.” While the deal does fund 11 out of the 12 agencies under Congress’ purview, DHS remains an open question. Senate Democrats, following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, demanded that the bipartisan bill to fund the agency be sidelined in order to cram in more restrictions and reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Turning to a two-week continuing resolution (CR) to further negotiate the bill has Republicans concerned that they will end up in the same position within the next few days, given the truncated timeframe to hash out major issues with one of the most politically perilous funding bills. HAKEEM JEFFRIES SAYS DEMS WILL NOT BACK FUNDING BILL FOR ‘KILLING MACHINE’ DHS EVEN IF NOEM IS FIRED Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said that negotiations with Senate Democrats would be carried out by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee. He acknowledged, however, that Trump would be the deciding factor. “Ultimately, that’s going to be a conversation between the President of the United States and the Democrats here in the Senate,” he said. But Schumer insisted that Thune needed to be in on the negotiations. “If Leader Thune negotiates in good faith, we can get it done,” Schumer said. “We expect to present to the Republicans a very serious, detailed proposal very shortly.” Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer and Jeffries for comment.
Leavitt scorches ‘elitist’ celebrities slamming ICE from ‘gated’ mansions
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt hit back at celebrity attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after they flared during Sunday’s Grammy Awards, arguing Hollywood stars are unfairly vilifying federal agents while insulated from the consequences of illegal immigration. “I think it’s very ironic and frankly sad to see celebrities who live in gated communities with private security, with millions of dollars to spend protecting themselves, trying to just demonize, again, law enforcement, public servants who work for the United States government to enforce our nation’s laws,” Leavitt said Tuesday in an outdoor gaggle with the media. Some of the music industry’s biggest stars used the Grammys to spotlight their criticisms of and animosity towards the Trump administration and ICE Sunday evening, including singers such as Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kehlani, Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Brandi Carlile wearing “ICE out” pins. “No one is illegal on stolen land,” pop singer Billie Eilish, for example, said while accepting a Grammy. “I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. Our voices really do matter, and the people matter.” JIMMY KIMMEL ATTENDS LOS ANGELES ANTI-ICE PROTEST WITH WIFE AND CHILDREN “And f— ICE, that’s all I’m gonna say, sorry,” she added. Leavitt continued Tuesday that celebrities were notably silent under the Biden administration, despite a spiraling immigration crisis and high-profile crimes such as the murders of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray at the hands of illegal immigrants. “The previous administration allowed an invasion of our nation’s borders and allowed innocent women and girls like Jocelyn Nungaray and Laken Riley to be killed and raped and murdered at the hands of people who should have never been in our country in the first place,” she continued. NOEM RESPONDS TO BAD BUNNY, BILLIE EILISH BASHING ICE AT GRAMMYS: ‘I WISH THEY KNEW’ “Now you have law enforcement who are simply trying to do their jobs to remove violent predators like those who took the lives of innocent Americans. There was no uproar from Hollywood and the elitist crowd at the Grammys then. But there is now, and I think that speaks to the unfortunate irony that we’re seeing in Hollywood.” Democrats and celebrities have increasingly spoken out against the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigrants in recent weeks, most notably since the start of the new year when federal law enforcement converged on Minnesota’s Twin Cities amid a sweeping fraud investigation. CNN PANEL ERUPTS AFTER GUEST CALLS OUT ‘HOLLYWOOD JACKA—-‘ OVER POLITICAL LECTURES AT AWARD SHOWS Two Americans were shot and killed by federal law enforcement in separate events in January, heightening condemnation from Trump critics who described the deaths as “murder” at the hands of the government. Department of Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem also previously responded to anti-ICE rhetoric from celebrities at the Grammys, telling Fox News Digital Monday that she wished they knew “what wonderful, amazing people our ICE officers are.” “Their families live there and that’s their neighbors they are protecting by getting dangerous criminals off the streets,” Noem continued. “They are going after those murderers and rapists, people that are trafficking drugs, and protecting America.” Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty contributed to this report.
Republican ‘wake-up call’: Special election shocker highlights GOP turnout and midterm risks
A stunning setback for Republicans at the ballot box in a ruby red part of right-leaning Texas has some saying the defeat was a “wake-up call” for the GOP ahead of this year’s midterm elections, when the party is defending its narrow congressional majorities. The double-digit shellacking, in a special state Senate election this past weekend in a Fort Worth area district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024, comes amid backlash over the Trump administration’s unprecedented crackdown on illegal immigration and, as the latest polling indicates, the president and his party are well underwater. The Democrats’ victory, their latest win or over performance in a slew of special elections since Trump returned to power in the White House a year ago, is further energizing them as they work to win back control of the House and possibly the Senate. “It’s clearly a wake-up call for Republicans,” longtime Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News Digital. AFFORDABILITY: THE ISSUE THAT BOOSTED TRUMP AND REPUBLICANS IN 2024 DEFLATED THEM IN 2025 And he warned that the results in Saturday’s special election to fill a vacant GOP-controlled seat in state Senate District 9 “does show that Democrats are energized and Republicans did not turn out in the numbers they should have.” “If Democrats can win this seat, it puts a lot of other seats in play,” Steinhauser warned. But Republican sources involved in midterm messaging tell Fox News Digital that while they’re not discounting the Democrats’ victories, there’s no talk right now of a wholesale revamping of the GOP’s playbook. 2025 SHOCKERS: THE BIGGEST MOMENTS THAT ROCKED THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL In Texas, Machinist and Air Force veteran Taylor Rehmet topped Republican Leigh Wambsganss by roughly 14 points in Saturday’s runoff election, despite Republicans dramatically outspending Democrats in the race, along with support from top Republicans including Gov. Greg Abbott and a last-minute endorsement and a social media push by Trump. This is the first time the seat, in the northern part of Fort Worth anchored Tarrant County, has been represented by a Democrat in four decades. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) called it a “Shockwave Victory” and highlighted that “Democrats have now flipped 26 state legislative seats since Trump retook office, while Republicans have flipped zero.” The results of special elections are often over-hyped and are not always the best indicator or barometer of things to come. But regardless, Republicans aren’t trying to sugarcoat the results. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the defeat “a wake-up call for Republicans across Texas. Our voters cannot take anything for granted.” And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis noted on X, “Special elections are quirky and not necessarily projectable re: a general election. That said, a swing of this magnitude is not something that can be dismissed.” “Republicans should be clear-eyed about the political environment heading into the midterms,” DeSantis emphasized. RNC CHAIR BETS ON ‘SECRET WEAPON’ TO DEFY MIDTERM HISTORY, PROTECT GOP MAJORITIES Thanks in part to their laser focus on the issue of affordability amid persistent inflation, Democrats scored decisive victories in the 2025 elections, and have overperformed at the ballot box in other off-year and special elections since the start of Trump’s second administration. But some of those victories and overperformances came in contests in small state legislative districts, where large swings can take place amid low voter turnout. That wasn’t the case in Texas, where the 9th state Senate district is home to roughly one million people, more populous than the 800,000 people in a typical congressional district. Republicans, as the party in power in the nation’s capital, are facing traditional political headwinds in the midterms and a rough climate. More than half (54%) surveyed in the latest Fox News national poll said the nation was worse off than it was a year ago, when Trump took office, with only 31% saying the U.S. was in a better position. Only 30% said the economy was in excellent or good shape, and Trump’s overall approval ratings remain in negative territory (44%-56%), according to the poll. The survey was the latest national poll to spell trouble for the GOP. Trump’s emphasis on inflation was a key factor in Republicans winning back the White House and Senate and holding on to the House in the 2024 elections. But Trump’s approval on combating inflation stood at just 35% in the Fox News survey. FOX NEWS POLL: AN EARLY LOOK AT THE 2026 MIDTERMS Border security and immigration were also winning issues for Trump and the GOP in 2024. But in the wake of two fatal shootings by federal agents of U.S. citizens in Minnesota protesting against the administration’s aggressive deportation efforts, the president’s poll numbers on immigration have slipped. While Trump’s approval ratings on border security stood at 52%-47% in the latest Fox News poll, he was at 45%-55% on how he was handling immigration. Tarrant County is Texas’ third most populous, and nearly a third of its population is Hispanic. Trump made major gains with Hispanic voters in Texas and across the county as he won back the White House in 2024. “I think we might have expected that the support among Hispanic voters in Texas for Trump might translate to all Republicans. That may not be the case,” Steinhauser noted. And he suggested that “some of the other imagery coming out of Minnesota is giving people pause, especially Hispanic Texans.” CASH SURGE: HOUSE GOP SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORDS AS REPUBLICANS GEAR UP TO DEFEND SLIM MAJORITY Looking ahead to November’s midterms, when the Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to recapture the House majority, DNC Chair Ken Martin said that the results in the Texas special election “prove that no Republican seat is safe.” Two veteran Republican strategists told Fox News Digital Republicans need to showcase their successes to change the narrative heading into the midterms. Pointing to the GOP’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which includes numerous tax cuts that many voters will feel this spring,
Schumer faces backlash after calling SAVE Act ‘Jim Crow’ despite previous allegation falling flat
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stood in the way of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE) this week, claiming that it represents “Jim Crow” segregation laws, leading many on social media to bring up his identical claim about a Georgia voting law that resulted in record Black turnout. Schumer pushed back on a Republican plan to add the SAVE Act, which would require states to obtain proof of citizenship in-person when people register to vote and remove non-citizens from voter rolls, to the spending package being debated in Congress. “I have said it before and I’ll say it again, the SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow-type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate,” Schumer said on Monday. “It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to… The SAVE Act is reminiscent of Jim Crow era laws and would expand them to the whole of America. Republicans want to restore Jim Crow and apply it from one end of this country to the other. It will not happen.” Many on social media quickly pointed to Schumer previously calling a Georgia election integrity law “Jim Crow 2.0” before the law resulted in record Black turnout in the 2022 state election. RECORD TURNOUT IN GEORGIA PRIMARY DESTROYS LEFT’S LIES ABOUT ‘VOTER SUPPRESSION’ “Schumer used the same line to describe Georgia laws that indisputably expanded voter access back in 2022,” commentator and writer AG Hamilton posted on X. “It’s incredibly offensive and unserious to pretend that every voting law equates to a renewal of Jim Crow.” Many Democrats, from Schumer, to President Joe Biden, to failed Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, warned that the Georgia voter integrity law would be “Jim Crow 2.0” and Major League Baseball even pulled its All-Star Game from Atlanta in 2021 amid public pressure. TRUMP UNDERCUTS GOP PUSH TO ATTACH SAVE ACT TO SHUTDOWN BILL AS CONSERVATIVES THREATEN MUTINY Ultimately, the Georgia Secretary of State revealed that the law did not suppress turnout, but rather increased it, particularly among minority voters. “Chuck Schumer sounds like a broken record,” Honest Elections Project Executive Director Jason Snead told Fox News Digital. “When Georgia passed a new voting law in 2021, Schumer labeled it ‘Jim Crow’ even though the state went on to see explosive turnout in 2022.” Snead pointed to a University of Georgia poll after the 2022 election finding that 0% of Black respondents had a poor experience voting. Snead continued, “Now, Schumer is smearing the SAVE Act the same way because he has no legitimate excuse for opposing a law that makes sure only American citizens are voting—which more than 80% of Americans support. Schumer’s smears were false then, and they are false now. “Schumer and the Democrats keep trying to rig the rules of our elections by pushing failed, California-style election laws that invite chaos and fraud. That’s not what Americans want.” Fox News Digital reached out to Schumer’s office for comment.
Moms org backs Trump’s efforts with ‘aggressive’ campaign against illicit Chinese vape: ‘This is personal’
FIRST ON FOX: A group led by conservative moms is stepping into the fight against illegal Chinese-made vapes, inspired by the Trump administration’s efforts, and announcing it will be mounting an “aggressive” 2026 campaign to educate parents on the dangers of illegal e-cigarettes. Moms for America Action, the nation’s largest conservative mothers organization, announced in a press release it will make combating illegal Chinese vapes a top priority in the 2026 election cycle, mobilizing parents and placing ads nationwide to demand tougher enforcement and accountability for manufacturers flooding the U.S. market with illicit products. The group says the action is in line with the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal vape products manufactured in China that are marketed to children with a variety of flavors. “For moms, this is personal,” Emily Stack, executive director of Moms for America Action, said in the press release. DISPOSABLE VAPES MORE TOXIC AND CARCINOGENIC THAN CIGARETTES, STUDY SHOWS “Illegal Chinese vapes are showing up in our schools, our neighborhoods, and our homes every single day. Moms are fed up, and we’re taking action to stop these products from targeting our kids.” Moms for America Actions says it will “mobilize moms” to “advocate for stronger enforcement, accountability for foreign manufacturers, and protections for children and families.” In the press release, the group points out that many illicit Chinese vapes are “deliberately designed” to appeal to children and says that will be a main focus of their campaign’s pushback. “This is not an accident; it’s by design,” Stack explained. “China has built a billion-dollar industry on addicting American kids to illegal products that have no place in our communities. Moms are fed up, and we fully support the Trump administration’s aggressive actions to shut down this black market.” PRESSURE MOUNTS ON MAMDANI TO ‘CONTINUE THE FIGHT’ ON ILLICIT CHINESE VAPES FLOODING NYC The group’s efforts are in line with the Trump administration’s push to combat illicit Chinese vapes, highlighted by an $86.5 million seizure of illegal vapes in Chicago last year that accompanied “Operation Vape Trail,” an operation by Trump’s Drug Enforcement Agency to stem illegal vape sales. “The Chinese are getting richer while our children get sicker,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted on X last September. “We’re putting an end to that.” “We are targeting illegal Chinese vapes, and we will stop them from poisoning our children.” China’s vape industry is estimated at $28 billion, and despite federal restrictions, government data indicates that two-thirds of its products reach U.S. consumers. More than 80% of vapes sold nationwide are illicit and not authorized for sale. “President Trump’s actions send a clear message: profiting off the addiction of our children will not be tolerated,” Stack said. “Moms want safe communities, honest enforcement of the law, and leaders who put American families first. We are committed to making sure these dangerous products are removed from our schools and neighborhoods for good.”
Poll finds clear favorite in New York governor’s race
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul holds a commanding lead in this year’s gubernatorial race, outpacing Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman by more than 25 points among registered voters, according to a Siena Research Institute poll released Tuesday. The poll found Hochul leading Blakeman 54% to 28%, a margin little changed from December, while she also maintains strong support among Democrats and improved favorability ratings statewide. The Siena poll, conducted Jan. 26-28 among 802 registered voters, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points. “Ten months from election day, Blakeman – largely unknown to three in five New York voters – has his work cut out for him. Hochul’s 79-8% lead among Democrats is significantly better than Blakeman’s 69-15% lead with Republicans, and she leads 41-34% with independents, as well as in every region of the state,” said Siena pollster Steven Greenberg. HOCHUL CONFRONTED ICE AGENT, SAID HE WAS ‘TERRORIZING PEOPLE’ BY WEARING A MASK Hochul is seeking re-election to a second full term and faces a primary challenge from Democratic Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. Blakeman is running on the Republican side with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, which he received after Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., withdrew from the race in December. The primary election is scheduled for June 23. POTENTIAL GOP CHALLENGER WARNS HOCHUL THAT A CORPORATE TAX HIKE WOULD BE A ‘DISASTER’ FOR NEW YORK’S ECONOMY The Siena poll found Hochul’s job approval above 50% and showed her holding a wide lead over Delgado, with at least 60% support among Democrats in every region of the state, including 68% of self-described liberals and 65% of moderates. Greenberg noted that while Hochul’s 49% favorability rating is modest, it represents a seven-point increase since December and marks the first time in four and a half years as governor that she has reached that level in a Siena poll. Blakeman took aim at Hochul on Friday for introducing legislation that would prohibit local law enforcement from partnering with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on federal civil immigration enforcement. “Kathy Hochul is the most pro-criminal governor in the United States who has a callous disregard for the safety of our communities and victims of crime,” Blakeman said. “By banning local law enforcement partnerships with ICE, Hochul is allowing dangerous criminals to return to our neighborhoods. That ends when I’m Governor.”
Democratic Senate primary erupts after candidate accused of ‘mediocre Black man’ remark
In the blockbuster Senate race in Texas, where the combustible GOP primary has been grabbing most of the headlines, it’s the Democratic showdown that’s now being swept up in a political firestorm. State Rep. James Talarico, one of the two major Democrats running for their party’s nomination in the red-leaning state, was accused over the weekend by an influencer of calling his former rival a “mediocre Black man.” Talarico later responded by saying the claim was a “mischaracterization of a private conversation.” The accusation comes with just one month to go until primary day in Texas, with Talarico facing off against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a progressive firebrand and rising Democratic Party star with a large social media following who is known as a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Morgan Thompson, the influencer who goes by the username @morga_tt on TikTok, in a social media post on Sunday accused Talarico of saying in a private conversation with her last month that he had “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent, Black woman.” JASMINE CROCKETT SAYS SHE DOESN’T NEED TO CONVERT TRUMP SUPPORTERS IN HER TEXAS SENATE BID Talarico was allegedly referring to former Rep. Colin Allred, the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee who was making a second straight run this cycle until ending his campaign just before Crockett announced her candidacy. Both Allred and Crockett are Black, and Talarico is White. Pushing back against Thompson’s characterization of their conversation, Talarico said in a statement, “In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.” FIERCE TRUMP CRITIC CROCKETT SHAKES UP HIGH STAKES SENATE RACE Allred, responding in a social media video on Monday, said: “James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man.” After dropping his Senate campaign, Allred is now running for Congress in the state’s 33rd District against Rep. Julie Johnson, a fellow Democrat. Allred, a former college football star who went on to play professionally in the NFL, and later became a civil rights lawyer, said he would be endorsing Crockett after initially staying neutral. Crockett said in a statement that Allred “drew a line in the sand.” “He made it clear that he did not take allegations of an attack on him as simply another day in the neighborhood, but more importantly, his post wasn’t about himself,” she said. “It was a moment that he decided to stand for all people who have been targeted and talked about in a demeaning way as our country continues to be divided.” CROCKETT ACCUSES LIBERAL PODCAST HOSTS OF RACIAL MOTIVE IN CRITICISM OF HER TEXAS SENATE BID The fireworks, which have the potential to rock the Democratic primary race, come as the latest polling suggests a competitive primary between Talarico and Crockett, with most Black voters supporting Crockett and a majority of White and Latino votes backing Talarico, former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is also seen as a rising Democrat. But a veteran Texas-based Democratic consultant called the criticism of Talarico “entirely overblown.” “I’ve seen a lot of hard-hitting attacks in Senate races around the country, but attacking a candidate for what might have been said about a past candidate is not one of them,” added the consultant, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. CORNYN TORCHES DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY FIELD IN TEXAS But the allegations once again inject race into the Democratic primary, where some questions about Crockett’s electability statewide appear to be related to race. Longtime Texas-based Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser told Fox News Digital the episode is “not great” for Talarico. “I think this dustup doesn’t really help him,” Steinhauser argued. “I think it makes him lose some of the momentum he’s had in the past few weeks.” Up until now, most of the political crossfire has been in the Republican primary, where longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn is being challenged by Texas Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton and by Rep. Wesley Hunt. Unlike the Democratic primary, where Crockett and Talarico are the only major candidates, the three-way Republican race may be headed towards a May runoff, which would be triggered if no candidate tops 50% in the March primary.
House Dems clash over Schumer-Trump deal as Jeffries blasts lack of ICE reforms
House Democrats are at a breaking point on whether to support a compromise funding package that would end the government shutdown — or leverage the moment to secure reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “If they’re not going to make any serious reforms, there’s just a sense in the House that we’re not co-signing on that,” Rep Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said of the spending package passed out of the Senate late last week. But Swalwell’s view isn’t universal among Democrats. “Yes,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, answered simply when asked if he would vote to end the shutdown. After reaching an impasse over immigration enforcement reforms in the Senate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., cut a deal with the White House last week to advance outstanding spending for 2026 while extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two weeks. The bill would fund the yearlong needs for the departments of War, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Health and Human Services. In addition to ending a four-day funding lapse for those departments, it would also give lawmakers time to negotiate over provisions for ICE. That compromise passed out of the Senate in a bipartisan 71-29 vote. In its current form, the bill does not include several key demands that Democrats have made in the wake of two fatal confrontations in Minneapolis between immigration enforcement and civilians. Among other elements, Democrats have demanded legislation to end ICE’s roaming patrols, strengthen warrant requirement protections, ban masks and require visible identification for ICE agents. Without their inclusion, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., made it clear he believes the legislation falls short. REPUBLICANS, DEMS BREAK THROUGH RESISTANCE, MOVE FORWARD WITH TRUMP-BACKED FUNDING PACKAGE “We’ve made a clear line in the sand. We’ve articulated the things that will be necessary for there to be a full-year appropriations bill connected to ICE funding,” Jeffries said Monday when asked if he would support the two-week extension. Even in the absence of key Democrat demands, Cuellar said he thinks the bill is consistent with his previous positions. “I’m looking at the bills. It’s the bill that we voted on with a two-week extension to Homeland [Security],” Cuellar said, referring to legislation that already passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support in January. Cuellar was one of the seven Democrats who broke with his party to advance the original bill. That package included limited reforms to DHS operations — such as requiring body cameras for ICE agents and additional training on interacting with civilians. Cuellar said he is holding out hope that additional reforms can be negotiated in the two-week window. “Hopefully, we can add more things that we wanted,” Cuellar said. “We added some things, but we need a lot more. I think the dynamics have changed a little bit. There will be more wiggle room in the future.” Cuellar’s view is shared by other Democrats wary of a longer government shutdown — the second government funding lapse in just three months. ‘OPENING PANDORA’S BOX’: MIKE JOHNSON BACKS TRUMP AFTER WARNING WHITE HOUSE ABOUT DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS Notably, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., also said she would support the spending deal. “The House should quickly clear those bills, minimizing a lapse in funding that would shutter, at least partially, eight cabinet departments and dozens of agencies within them,” DeLauro said in a press release last week. Democrats approached by Fox News Digital did not speak about how Jeffries and Schumer differ on their shutdown strategies. Rep. Jarred Moskowitz, D-Fla., did not say how he would vote but pointed out he’s not surprised by the divide on an issue as charged as immigration enforcement. “I think we are at a time where we’re out of sync with our Senate colleagues,” Moskowitz said. “It happens. House Republicans and Senate Republicans are out of sync all the time.” “It was a deal made with Senate Dems. House Dems were not involved,” Moskowitz said of the spending extension bill. “But that’s a process thing. The American people care about whether U.S. citizens are being shot in the face.” Moskowitz said he understands why Democrats like Swalwell and Jeffries oppose punting negotiations on ICE. Moskowitz believes that as the White House begins to pull ICE out of Minnesota and requires its agents in the states to begin wearing body cameras, the pressure Democrats can exert on reforms may be diminished in two weeks as the national focus goes elsewhere. “It’ll become less of a national news story, so it’ll be much better to negotiate a deal for the White House at that point in time,” Moskowitz said. The House will vote on Tuesday to advance the shutdown-ending spending legislation. It’s unclear how many Democrats may ultimately join Cuellar and DeLauro in supporting the package. Because of razor-thin margins for Republicans in the House, the legislation may depend on the support of a handful of Democrats amid GOP concerns over DHS, earmarks included in the package, and the lack of voting security legislation.
ICE reveals legal theory behind warrantless immigration arrests
The top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement made clear to federal agents in a new memo that they can make snap decisions to arrest suspected illegal immigrants without a warrant under certain conditions. The memo, which the government filed in federal court on Friday as part of a case in Minnesota, broadens ICE’s view of warrantless arrests. Acting Director Todd Lyons suggested that previously, the agency had been interpreting the law incorrectly. When ICE agents make civil immigration arrests, they are required to obtain an administrative warrant, which supervisors within ICE sign off on to confirm that probable cause exists to make the arrest. DHS FIRES BACK AFTER DEM ACCUSES ICE OF ‘NEEDLESSLY’ DETAINING BOY WITH FATHER AFTER MOM REFUSED TO TAKE HIM But the law has a carve-out that allows ICE agents to make an arrest without a warrant if they believe the person is “likely to escape” before a warrant is obtained. Lyons wrote in the memo that an “alien is ‘likely to escape’ if an immigration officer determines he or she is unlikely to be located at the scene of the encounter or another clearly identifiable location once an administrative warrant is obtained.” ICE previously interpreted “likely to escape” to mean “flight risk,” which Lyons said was an improper view of the law. A flight risk describes someone who might not show up to a future hearing, but Lyons said ICE agents making “on-the-spot determinations” in the field do not necessarily have enough information to know if someone is a flight risk prior to arresting them. The memo noted that agents should document in a government form, as soon as possible after the arrest, what factors they considered when apprehending someone without a warrant. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News Digital the memo was “nothing new.” “This is just a reminder to officers to be [keeping] detailed records on their arrests,” she said, adding that “authorities under USC 1357 and, of course, reasonable suspicion are protected by the U.S. Constitution.” Some critics, however, found the memo alarming. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said it was “another advance in Trump’s fascist agenda,” alleging on X that the administration wanted “warrantless arrests of just about anyone at any time.” The New York Times first reported on the memo. Claire Trickler-McNulty, a former senior adviser at ICE, told the outlet the new definition was “an extremely broad interpretation of the term ‘escape.’” “It would cover essentially anyone they want to arrest without a warrant, making the general premise of ever getting a warrant pointless,” she said. TRUMP CUTS FAMILY REUNIFICATION PROGRAMS FOR SEVEN COUNTRIES CITING FRAUD AND SECURITY CONCERNS The memo comes amid the Trump administration carrying out an aggressive deportation agenda, which has drawn mixed reactions, according to polling. Some observe that the efforts have vastly reduced illegal immigration, while others raise alarm over incidents that appeared heavy-handed or ended in tragedy, including two recent killings of U.S. citizens in Minnesota at the hands of immigration authorities. ICE’s deportations have been challenged in court cases across the country, and the Trump administration has seen, according to a Politico analysis, hundreds of rejections by district court judges. One federal judge in D.C. blocked the administration from making warrantless immigration arrests without first making individualized assessments about whether a target was likely to escape. Judge Beryl Howell, an Obama appointee, said the immigrant rights group that sued was correct in alleging that the Trump administration’s policy was to “arrest first, ask questions later.” “Defendants have adopted a policy of making arrests using a deficient standard under both the [Immigration and Nationality Act] and well-settled constitutional principles,” Howell wrote.