House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has announced plans to introduce a discharge petition aimed at forcing a vote on legislation to reopen most of the Department of Homeland Security while excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The effort follows similar attempts by Senate Democrats last week, which were blocked by Republican senators. Jeffries told fellow Democrats in a letter Monday that party leaders plan to bring the measure to the House floor through this procedural mechanism. The proposed legislation would fund several DHS components—including TSA, FEMA, CISA, and the Coast Guard—while explicitly leaving ICE and CBP without funding.
In his letter, Jeffries wrote: “The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 30 days because President Donald Trump and Republican extremists refuse to get ICE under control.” He added: “Meanwhile, hardworking employees of TSA, CISA, Coast Guard and FEMA have been forced to work without pay.”
The funding standoff stems from a political dispute over immigration enforcement policies and the role of federal agencies such as ICE and CBP. Democrats have raised concerns about immigration enforcement tactics while pushing for stricter rules for federal immigration officers as conditions for supporting DHS funding.
Jeffries emphasized that House Democrats will continue demanding transformative changes to ICE, including restrictions on face mask use, new warrant requirements prior to arrests, and expanded body camera mandates. He stated: “House Democrats will continue to demand changes to ICE that are bold, meaningful and transformational.”
“Immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, just and humane. That is not what is happening right now,” he wrote. The discharge petition requires 218 signatures, meaning Democrats would need support from at least four Republicans to succeed. Such petitions have been used recently to force House votes on issues including releasing files related to Jeffrey Epstein and extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
