The risk of a partial government shutdown is growing as a Friday funding deadline approaches and Democratic leaders push for rigorous Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reforms.
Congress must provide funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) by Friday February 13 or face a partial shutdown that could delay disaster aid and furlough workers from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are demanding concessions from Republicans in how ICE agents use masks and body cameras as well as requiring judicial warrants for immigration enforcement.
NEW: Congress has until the end of Friday to reach a deal on DHS funding, and Republicans are calling some Dem demands non-starters. Now, some Dems are worried that ICE bodycams would be used to surveil anti-ICE protesters, and they want restrictions on how the cams can be used. pic.twitter.com/KnF4TnDd20
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 9, 2026
Jeffries, in a Sunday interview on CNN, claimed, “We know that ICE is completely and totally out of control. They’ve gone WAY too far. And the American people want them reined in.”
However, CNN host Dana Bash reminded Jeffries that ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) are already well-funded through the Big Beautiful Bill Act which passed last year and that a partial shutdown will only impact agencies unrelated to immigration enforcement.
According to Fox News, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has warned that, despite a funding agreement between President Trump and Schumer earlier this month, Congress hasn’t had time to negotiate a revised continuing resolution (CR) that would fully fund DHS.
Thune said, “I understand that, on the other side of the Capitol, the Democrats are already objecting to that, which is no big surprise since they haven’t voted for anything yet. I think there are Democrats in both the House and the Senate who do want to see this addressed. I’m hopeful the conversations lead to an outcome, but we probably won’t know by the time the current CR expires.”
With both sides in the funding debate accusing each other of failing to negotiate in good faith, prediction markets are saying there is a 70% chance of a shutdown starting on Saturday.
