Budget impasse shuts down US Department of Homeland Security
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
The shutdown would be the third of US President Donald Trump's second term, including a record 43-day government closure in October and November 2025.
PHOTO: REUTERS
WASHINGTON – The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entered a partial shutdown on Feb 14 as US lawmakers fight over funding the agency overseeing much of US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Thousands of government workers, from airport security agents to disaster relief officials, will either be furloughed or forced to work without pay until funding is agreed upon by Congress.
At the centre of the budget dispute is the department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose agents killed two US citizens
The Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented over how ICE conducts its operations.
In particular, they have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks during operations and the requirement that they obtain a judicial warrant to enter private property.
“Donald Trump and the Republicans have decided that they have zero interest in getting ICE under control,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Feb 13.
“Dramatic changes are needed,” Mr Jeffries told a news conference. “Absent that, Republicans have decided to shut down parts of the federal government.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt put the blame on the opposition, telling Fox News that “Democrats are barrelling our government towards another shutdown for political and partisan reasons”.
But while DHS faces a shutdown, ICE itself will remain operational, under funds approved in the 2025 government spending Bill.
Senator John Fetterman pushed against his fellow Democrats, saying: “This shutdown literally has zero impact on ICE.”
The primary impact would land on other agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which oversees emergency response to natural disasters.
The Transportation Security Administration, which runs airport safety, warned on X that a prolonged shutdown could result in longer wait times and cancelled flights.
Negotiations stalled
The shutdown would be the third of Mr Trump’s second term, including a record 43-day government closure in October 2025 and November 2025
The government just reopened from a smaller, four-day partial shutdown earlier in February
Even if all 53 Republican senators vote to fund DHS, Senate rules require support from 60 of the body’s 100 members to advance the budget Bill, meaning several Democrats would need to get on board.
In response to the Democrats’ demands, the White House said it was ready to negotiate over immigration enforcement policy.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune called it “an extremely serious offer”, but warned the Democrats are “never going to get their full wish list”.
Some concessions were made during the previous shutdown amid Democratic pressure and national outcry after federal agents shot and killed Ms Renee Good
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said federal agents in the city would wear body cameras “effective immediately” in a move that would be later “expanded nationwide”.
The Senate went into recess for a week starting Feb 12, but senators could be called back to Washington in case of a rapid leap in negotiations.
For the moment, however, talks between the White House and Democrats appear to be at a standstill. AFP
