02/13/2026
Almost in spite of themselves, Democrats have stumbled on a rare opportunity. After a year of having little-to-no leverage over, the killings of two U.S. citizens by immigration officers in Minneapolis have turned most of the country against him. Greg Bovino was demoted and sent back to California. Kristi Noem is facing rising calls for her ouster on both sides of the aisle. Most tellingly, Trump has felt pressured to negotiate with Chuck Schumer, who vowed to block appropriations in the Senate if ICE and DHS funding were included — a sign of a partial retreat by the administration.
“If ever there was a time for Democrats to take seriously the prospect of amputating a rotten government appendage — even if they have to jettison divisive abolitionist language to make it more politically palatable — it is now,” Zak Cheney-Rice writes.
The Democrats’ funding deal is still very much in flux: Though Schumer and Trump have agreed to separate DHS funding from the rest of the package, their framework has a trickier path in the House. The real test comes afterward. Democrats will be in a position to push for restrictions on ICE and hold DHS funding hostage until they get at least some of their way.
Which is why it’s so strange that what they’re asking for is fairly toothless. The demands they’re asking for include outlawing the wearing of masks, mandating body cameras, and implementing the same use-of-force standards for the Feds as local cops. This list of demands appears to be a pared-down version of the already modest one Democrats were originally considering.
“There is a real risk of today’s movement against ICE and DHS getting co-opted by Democratic leaders who are at best committed to delivering milquetoast concessions disguised as solutions,” Cheney-Rice writes.
Read more from Cheney-Rice on how Democrats could squander a rare chance to curb ICE: https://nymag.visitlink.me/-Ufh1g