WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala, will spearhead negotiations for Republicans as lawmakers race to find a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security past next Friday’s deadline.
On Wednesday, Democratic leaders laid out their proposals to add constraints on federal immigration officers as the clock ticks toward another funding cliff for the department that handles Immigration and Customs Enforcement, along with other key agencies, such as the Transportation Security Administration , the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said House and Senate Democrats are “completely and totally on the same page” in pushing for restraints that include body cameras, no masks, and clear identification for federal agents. Democrats have been motivated to advocate for change in the Trump administration’s immigration tactics following the fatal shootings in Minneapolis.
“It’s got to be tough,” Schumer said at a press conference outlining Democratic demands in negotiations. “It’s got to rein in ICE in very serious ways and end the violence.”
Democrats sent a letter to Republican leaders Wednesday night detailing the 10 specific guardrails for ICE reform. Britt responded to the letter on social media, saying, “This is NOT negotiating in good faith, and it’s NOT what the American people want.”
Before the letter, Britt said the White House will handle the bulk of the funding discussions with Democrats, and “looks forward” to sitting down with the Senate Democratic leader soon. But it will be an uphill battle to find bipartisan agreement in just over a week.
“I think it’s important to make sure that America knows that we’re going to stand firmly with our law enforcement officers (and) make sure they continue to have the tools they need to keep our communities and themselves safe,” Britt, who chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, told Alabama Daily News.
Republicans, including Britt, have already revealed they aren’t supportive of some of the Democrats’ asks when it comes to ICE reforms, such as unmasking federal agents.
“You can’t be doxxing law enforcement officers on one hand and then asking them to remove their masks on the other,” she told ADN. “It’s a huge safety issue for our men and women in uniform, and….we’re not going to put them in a weakened position.”
During their press conference, Democrats also reiterated their demands to end roving patrols, increase oversight over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and restrict what buildings, such as schools and places of worship, agents can enter to detain individuals.
“Immigration enforcement should be just,” Jeffries said. “It should be fair and it should be humane. That is not what is taking place right now.”
Republicans are interested in pursuing their own priorities in the discussions, such as cracking down on so-called sanctuary cities. Local, state and federal leaders in cities need to cooperate so agents can safely do their jobs, Britt said. She added that it will be up to the White House to decide what changes to immigration enforcement tactics they would support.
The House approved the two-week spending patch for DHS on Tuesday and passed five other spending bills, which reopened the government after a brief, partial shutdown. Some Democrats in the House and Senate joined Republicans to pass that measure, but garnering enough Democratic support in another vote will be a challenge.
Republicans are looking at pursuing another continuing resolution to fund Homeland Security as lawmakers “clearly need more time,” Britt said. But even that could prove difficult to pass by Feb. 13 as the House left Washington for the week on Wednesday afternoon and the Senate plans to leave Thursday and return Monday.