Democrats are pushing back on Republicans’ claim that they are adding new demands in negotiations to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, Maine Republican, told reporters that Democrats added to the immigration enforcement policy changes they are seeking during a negotiating meeting on Thursday between key senators and White House border czar Tom Homan.
“No one wants to see the Department of Homeland Security closed down, but unfortunately, the Democrats’ list of demands keeps growing, and that makes it difficult,” she said.
A Democratic source familiar with the negotiations told The Washington Times that is not true.
“The commonsense reforms Democrats zeroed in on at Thursday’s meeting are the same basic asks that they have been pushing for weeks and transparently laid out in late January,” the source said.
Democrats laid out three overarching demands in January: to stop U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection from conducting roving patrols without specific deportation targets, to require agents to wear identification and stop donning masks and to enhance training and accountability policies to protect against excessive use of force.
They later fleshed those concepts out into a 10-point policy list and legislative text exchanged in offers with the White House.
The White House and Republicans have said many of the Democrats’ demands are unworkable and would curtail immigration enforcement, which the GOP is unwilling to do.
Democrats say the White House has offered few meaningful policy changes.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democratic appropriator, said after Thursday’s meeting that the two sides are no closer to a deal.
One of the big sticking points remains around ICE’s use of administrative warrants for conducting arrests.
Democrats want to require ICE to obtain a warrant from a judge before being able to enter private property in search of a deportation target.
Republicans have said that requirement would be too onerous, as there are not enough judges to process such requests.
But Democrats were encouraged by a potential softening in that position from Oklahoma GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin, President Trump’s nominee to replace Kristi Noem as DHS secretary.
Mr. Mullin said during his confirmation hearing this week that he would order ICE to curtail entry into homes and businesses without a judicial warrant.
He did not participate in Thursday’s negotiating meeting. Mr. Homan represented the administration in that session but declined to comment on the substance of the talks.
Earlier in the week, he and White House Office of Legislative Affairs Director James Braid sent a letter to top GOP appropriators summarizing some of the concessions they have made in negotiations.
That includes expanding the use of body-worn cameras, with the footage retained for congressional oversight, and ensuring officers conducting immigration enforcement clearly display identification and verbalize their agency upon request.
Democrats are still pushing for officers to be barred from wearing masks, which Republicans have defended as a protective measure to prevent agents from being doxxed.
The White House has also said it would follow current law preventing the deportation of U.S. citizens and allowing members of Congress access to immigration detention facilities so they can conduct oversight.
Mr. Homan’s and Mr. Braid’s letter did not mention any concessions on use-of-force training and accountability.
Democrats have also demanded that DHS be barred from conducting immigration enforcement near “sensitive locations,” such as schools, hospitals, churches, courts and polling sites.
Mr. Homan and Mr. Braid said the administration will limit enforcement “at certain sensitive locations, subject to a narrow carve-out for immediate needs like national security, flight risks, and public safety.”
