In recent discussions, it has become increasingly evident that the challenges facing our society are not limited to one political party. Both major parties have contributed to the current state of affairs regarding law enforcement practices in the U.S., particularly concerning ICE and their interactions with communities.
To provide some context:
Obama
Always worth a reminder that Obama inherited ICE as a fledgling agency, increased its budget 300%, established a nationwide network of detention centres and expanded the ‘secure communities’ enforcement program from 14 counties under Bush Jr to all 3,181 jurisdictions in America https://t.co/eHEJy7UlH0
— Nate Bear (@NateB_Panic) March 16, 2025
Biden
Traditionally, the Democratic Party has positioned itself as the lesser of two evils. Currently, that translates to increasing ICE funding by five percent per year instead of seven percent, as seen during the Trump administration. Trump’s later term saw a significant rise in funding, with budget levels hitting at least a tripling of ICE’s budget.
Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), have consistently voted to boost ICE’s funding while occasionally issuing strongly worded statements denouncing agency practices. Unfortunately, these statements have failed to create meaningful change. Recent reports from Minneapolis reveal troubling scenarios:
Someone I personally know in Minneapolis posted this to Facebook a few hours ago.
This isn’t what orderly law enforcement looks like. No charge, no location info? How do you even know citizens are getting due process here? pic.twitter.com/y2pzvPq7iQ
— Liminal Warmth ❤️🔥 (@liminal_warmth) January 10, 2026
Adding to the absurdity, ICE previously maintained a page dedicated to “Human Rights Violators and War Crimes” with the aim of blocking the entry of known war criminals into the U.S. However, the masked agents are notably absent when known perpetrators like Bibi and Al-Sharaa are visiting. This human rights content has since been rendered obsolete and currently states:
In an effort to keep ICE.gov current, the archive contains content from a previous administration or is otherwise outdated. This information is archived and not reflective of current practice.
Indeed.
By Julia Conley, a staff writer at Common Dreams. Cross posted from Common Dreams.
The recent shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis coincided with Republican plans to discuss homeland security funding. This has raised significant concerns regarding whether the increased militarization of immigration enforcement should continue amidst rising violence and discontent within communities.
“I just don’t understand how we provide votes for a bill that funds the extent of the depravity,” remarked Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) in a CNN interview. “I know we can’t fix everything in the appropriations bill but we should be looking at ways we can put some commonsense limitations on their ability to bring violence to our cities.”
Nevertheless, prominent Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY), have shown little interest in leveraging the appropriations process to limit the powers of ICE and other Homeland Security departments involved in mass deportation activities initiated during the Trump administration.
Although both leaders condemned the recent shooting and the Trump administration’s defense of the actions of the ICE officer, Jeffries indicated a singular focus on passing other appropriations bills already approved by the House.
“We’ll figure out the accountability mechanisms at the appropriate time,” he told reporters.
Democrats refuse to use their power in the appropriations fight to rein in ICE. They don’t care if you live or die. https://t.co/gFXhyfzA12
— Prof Zenkus (@anthonyzenkus) January 9, 2026
With a deadline looming for Congress to approve government funding packages by January 30, and with public disapproval of ICE at an all-time high, several lawmakers are stressing the need to impose restrictions on the agency now.
“Statements and letters are not enough, and the appropriations process and the [continuing resolution] expiring January 31 is our opportunity,” Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) stated to Axios.
Moreover, Schumer remained non-committal when asked if the Democrats would use the appropriations bills as leverage to cut ICE funding, which is set to dramatically increase to $170 billion following the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of the previous year. Republican support will be crucial to pass spending bills in a Senate that requires 60 votes.
oh cool the guy responsible for failing to protect our healthcare by orchestrating a total cave-in to Republicans is also caving in on the murder of americans by gestapo death squads LOVE IT https://t.co/q0xEWNsTOX
— Jules Suzdaltsev (@jules_su) January 9, 2026
When pressed on whether he supports abolishing ICE, Schumer responded that he had “lots of problems with ICE.” Support for this abolition has decreased among voters by 20 percentage points in just one year, according to recent polls. Both he and Jeffries refrained from committing to budget cuts for Homeland Security should the Democrats regain control of Congress.
“It’s hard to be an opposition party when you refuse to oppose the blatantly illegal and immoral actions of your opponents,” asserted Melanie D’Arrigo, executive director of the Campaign for New York Health.
Historian Moshik Temkin remarked that “it’s critical for people to understand that at its core, ICE is a bipartisan project, increasingly funded and normalized over multiple Democratic administrations and congressional majorities.” Some lawmakers are beginning to recognize the past mistakes made in supporting these agendas.
Among the progressive voices urging the Democrats to advocate for reduced funding for ICE are Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). They emphasize the urgent need to address the funding of ICE, even if it risks another government shutdown, following the extensive shutdown from the previous year that occurred when the Democrats refused to support a GOP spending bill that would have preserved tax credits for the Affordable Care Act. Ultimately, some Senate Democrats compromised, leading to the expiration of those subsidies.
“We can’t keep authorizing funds for these illegal killers,” declared Jayapal during her interview with Axios. “That’s what they are, this rogue force.”
Ocasio-Cortez also affirmed to the Independent that Democrats should indeed pursue funding cuts.
“This Congress, this Republican Congress, has cut a trillion dollars to Americans’ healthcare, while increasing the ICE budget to an astounding $170 billion, effectively turning it into one of the largest paramilitary forces in the United States with no accountability as they shoot U.S. citizens,” she stated.
On a recent episode of The Majority Report, hosts Emma Vigeland and Sam Seder expressed the necessity for progressive Democrats to call for Schumer’s removal from leadership given his unwillingness to confront ICE amid rising violence in American communities.
It’s time for Democrats to oust Chuck Schumer from leadership pic.twitter.com/ByWMJ495zb
— Majority Report (@majorityfm) January 9, 2026
“This is a time to change the narrative and demonstrate that they can stand as an opposition party,” urged Vigeland. “It’s essential to call for his removal.”
Seder highlighted, “Schumer has the potential to mount a fight against DHS funding. He has that power, yet he is deliberately avoiding it, evading any opportunity for leverage.”
