Mask ban for ICE agents emerges as flashpoint in DHS funding negotiation
Newsy
Democrats link DHS funding to ICE oversight reforms, including body cameras and a mask ban, as polls show shifting public views on immigration.
Although a brief government shutdown ended Tuesday, Congress has funded the Department of Homeland Security only through the end of next week.
To secure long-term funding for the department, Democrats have issued a list of demands related to immigration enforcement. In a letter released late Wednesday by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, they called for the following changes involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents:
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“These are common-sense solutions that protect constitutional rights and ensure responsible law enforcement,” Schumer and Jeffries wrote in the joint letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Leader John Thune.
ICE is one of several agencies within DHS, along with Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Secret Service.
The Senate passed a bill to end lawmakers’ ability to skip airport security lines, sending the measure to the House for consideration.
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