Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill have agreed to a two-week window to give them time to negotiate over so-called “reforms” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demanded by Democrats. Those demands include obtaining judicial warrants before making arrests; ending ICE's ability to patrol “sensitive” areas such as schools and churches; and barring ICE agents from being masked in public.
If Congress doesn't act, DHS funding is set to run dry Friday if lawmakers fail to approve an appropriation measure or approve a continuing resolution.
Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, says Democrats are jumping on a political opportunity that helps them but hurts a country overrun with illegal immigrants.
“(It's) the kind of policies that they had during the Biden administration, where basically laws weren't being enforced,” Mehlman recalls.
FAIR opposes all three demands – judicial warrants, off-limit areas, and no more masks – because it says the first two demands hamper the ability of ICE agents to find and apprehend illegal aliens.
Regarding a warrant, ICE agents currently obtain what is known as an administrative warrant, a DHS document, that declares an illegal immigrant has a final order of removal from the U.S.
According to FAIR, more than 1,000 “sanctuary” jurisdictions shield illegal aliens from ICE arrest because they also demand a judicial warrant to take custody of an illegal alien arrested by local authorities. That extra step often acts as a tip-off for local authorities to release the suspect instead, FAIR alleges.
During the Biden administration, ICE agents were not permitted to pursue illegal aliens at off-limit locations, such as schools and churches, but that rule was reversed by President Trump.
FAIR argues the third demand, over masking, would put agents in danger of being doxed by radical anti-ICE activists which puts them and in their families in danger.
In a statement about the Democrats’ demands, FAIR executive director Dale Wilcox urged President Donald Trump to refuse to give in.
“If the White House accepts the Democrats’ ludicrous conditions, meaningful interior enforcement would come to a screeching halt,” Wilcox warned.
