Here are most audacious Democratic proposals to hamper ICE

Though Congress managed to end a partial government shutdown this week, the stopgap package has left them with a limited window to approve the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill and Democrats are eyeing major reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of the debate.

President Donald Trump this week signed a package of five appropriations bills and a continuing resolution for the DHS package, set to last until Feb. 13. Congress approves 12 appropriations bills every year to fund the myriad government departments.

ICE a political lightning rod

Though a planned package of six was set to pass and thereby complete the yearly process, Democrats demanded reforms to ICE operations in response to the death of anti-ICE demonstrator Alex Pretti, which threatened to sink the process and launch a protracted shutdown.

Instead, the legislature opted for a stopgap plan and plans to parlay over possible ICE reforms to get the DHS bill over the line. Here are some of the ideas Democrats have floated thus far:

• Abolish ICE

Though an extremely unlikely outcome, a number of Democrats see no possibility of reforming the agency and see abolishing ICE completely as the only path forward.

"No more funding DHS. Abolish ICE,” posted Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. “Not only should ICE receive NO funding, it should be abolished,” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., suggested. Both Tlaib and Omar represent largely immigrant constituencies.

Thus far, however, that sentiment does not appear to have permeated the mainstream of the Democratic conference.

• Warrants

ICE agents currently do not need a judicial warrant to arrest someone suspected of being in the United States illegally. Some Democrats have suggested altering that arrangement.

"To search someone's home, you need probable cause and a judicial warrant signed by an impartial judge. ICE admin warrants are NOT signed by a judge, they are signed by ICE agents,” posted Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.

"America does not want us to fund a lawless out of control ICE. - No more roving patrols or profiling,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. 

“ICE/CBP are not trained to do this. And it's wrong. Require warrants. — No more secret police. Take off the masks. Show ID. — And real accountability for murder and assault," he added.

Most immigration arrests are carried out under administrative warrants, PBS reported, citing internal documents issued by immigration authorities that authorize the arrest of a specific person without judicial intervention or approval.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, has dismissed a warrant requirement as “unworkable” and suggested Democrats knowingly floated such an idea to hamstring ICE.

• Unmasking the agents

Among the most prominent of the Democratic proposals has been a plan to forbid ICE agents from wearing masks during their operations.

"ICE has to stop. My colleagues on both sides of the aisle must join me in the fight to cut ICE’s funding, mandate that agents wear body cameras, prohibit agents from hiding behind masks, require de-escalation training and more stringent hiring standards, and impeach Kristi Noem immediately,” wrote Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., in late January.

“Ban masked anonymous agents without IDs, and require body cameras,” demanded Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

• Body cameras

Among the most likely changes to ICE practices could be the deployment of body cameras on agents during their operations. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, for her part, has already ordered agents in Minneapolis, Minn., to begin using the devices.

"As funding is available, the body camera program will be expanded nationwide,” she said. “We will rapidly acquire and deploy body cameras to DHS law enforcement across the country."

Democratic lawmakers such as Rep. Thompson and Sen. Schiff have called for body cameras and Noem’s apparent openness to the idea makes the prospect of a breakthrough on this aspect or reform far more likely.

Conservative pundits, moreover, have backed the idea, albeit contending that body cameras would ultimately vindicate ICE agents more than their critics.

“Body cameras killed the BLM movement,” insisted The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh. “Now every time they try to canonize a new martyr, we quickly see the footage, and it’s painfully obvious that the would-be martyr had it coming. Body cameras destroyed BLM. If the cops had been wearing them in Ferguson, BLM could have been extinguished a decade ago.”

Although public release is often delayed, most police body and dash-cam footage is subject to state and federal Freedom of Information laws, the use of which allows media and public citizens to assist in the reduction of disinformation.

• Prosecute agents

Some lawmakers have suggested removing qualified immunity for ICE agents and prosecuting agents accused of misconduct.

Rep. Ayanna Presley, D-Mass., for her part, said this week that “[t]his rogue agency must be abolished & we must end qualified immunity to hold agents accountable."

“For every community terrorized by this lawless agency. We must move towards accountability: impeach Noem. Abolish ICE. Prosecute agents,” Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa. posted on X.

• Shooting back?

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for his part, drew considerable scrutiny this week over remarks that many conservatives took as a tacit endorsement of violence against agents, which he emphatically denied.

Speaking in a committee meeting, Nadler said “[w]hat is really the major problem in this country today is the fascism in our streets, the attacks on American citizens by masked hoodlums."

"If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped. You'd be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself,” he added.

Nadler subsequently denied assertions that he was urging violence against ICE agents as “BS” and said, “I’m calling on ICE to stop shooting citizens.” 

Vice President JD Vance criticized Nadler’s remarks as “despicable,” expressing concern over escalating tensions between law enforcement and citizens.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.