No clear path to ending the partial government shutdown as lawmakers dig
in over DHS oversight
[February 16, 2026]
By AAMER MADHANI
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Lawmakers and the White House offered no
signs of compromise Sunday in their battle over oversight of federal
immigration officers that has led to a pause in funding for the
Department of Homeland Security.
A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional
Democrats and President Donald Trump's team failed to reach a deal on
legislation to fund the department through September. Democrats are
demanding changes to how immigration operations are conducted after the
fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal
officers in Minneapolis last month.
Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into
their positions. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation
Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S.
Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The work at ICE and CBP goes on unabated because Trump’s tax and
spending cut law from 2025 provided billions more to those agencies that
can be tapped for deportation operations. About 90% of DHS employees
were to continue working during the shutdown, but do so without pay —
and missed paychecks could mean financial hardships. Last year there was
a record 43-day government shutdown.
White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration was unwilling
to agree to Democrats' demands that federal officers clearly identify
themselves, remove masks during operations and display unique ID
numbers.
“I don’t like the masks, either,” Homan said, But, he said, “These men
and women have to protect themselves."
Democrats also want to require immigration agents to wear body cameras
and mandate judicial warrants for arrests on private property.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats are only
asking for federal agents to abide by rules followed by law enforcement
agencies around the country.
“And the question that Americans are asking is, ‘Why aren’t Republicans
going along with these commonsense proposals?’” Schumer said. "They’re
not crazy. They’re not way out. They’re what every police department in
America does.”
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters at
the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/J.
Scott Applewhite)
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he could back Democrats calls
to equip immigration officers with body cameras and would support
efforts to bolster training. But he balked at their demands that
federal officers remove masks and clearly identify themselves,
noting some officers taking part in immigration enforcement
operations have faced doxing and other harassment.
“What are you going to do, expose their faces so you can intimidate
their families?” Mullins said. "What we want is ICE to be able to do
their job. And we would love for local law enforcement and for
states to cooperate with us.”
Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, a Trump ally who had pushed
for a two-week extension of DHS funding while negotiations
continued, said it was "shortsighted of Democrats to walk away" from
talks.
Trump made enforcement of the nation's immigration laws a
centerpiece of his 2024 campaign for the White House and he promised
to be aggressive in detaining and deporting people living in the
United States without legal permission.
DHS reports it has deported more than 675,000 migrants since Trump's
return to office last year and claims some 2.2 million others have
“self-deported” as the Republican president has made his immigration
crackdown a priority.
“President Trump is not going to back away from the mission, the
mission that American people said they wanted him to complete, and
that is securing our border and making sure that we actually do
interior enforcement," Britt said.
Homan was on CBS' “Face the Nation,” Schumer and Mullin appeared on
CNN's “State of the Union” and Britt was interviewed on “Fox News
Sunday.”
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