This post from Indivisible’s weekly email newsletter, February 9, 2025 has been very lightly edited.
Department of Homeland Security funding runs out this Friday, Feb. 13.
Democrats have pledged to withhold their votes from any funding bill that fails to include significant restrictions on ICE or Customs & Border Patrol. Despite Americans being killed in the streets, Republican leaders don’t seem ready to pass anything to address ICE and CBP terror. Four things could happen this week:
- Democrats cave fully and pass a bill that does little or nothing to rein in ICE and CBP;
- Dems cave partially and agree to another temporary funding bill;
- Republicans cave and we win;
- There’s no agreement, and there’s a partial government shutdown.
Despite Republican posturing, the politics are on our side. The vast majority of Americans think ICE’s actions have gone way too far. Republicans are obviously feeling the heat — that’s why they’re willing to negotiate at all.
What we can do
Keep up the pressure on both parties. Republicans need to agree to rein in ICE. Dems must not agree to anything that falls short — including another continuing resolution that would kick the funding battle down the road and continue the untenable status quo of deadly ICE/CBP violence.
Email all your members of Congress.
Democrats are doing the right thing, for now. So the ball’s in the Republicans’ court. If there’s a partial government shutdown this weekend, it’ll be for one reason: because Republicans refused to do the bare minimum to protect Americans from a lawless, masked, paramilitary force.
