{"id":46296,"date":"2026-01-25T12:25:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T20:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=46296"},"modified":"2026-01-25T12:25:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T20:25:15","slug":"cowardice-in-the-face-of-fascism-fury-at-house-democrats-willing-to-fund-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/01\/25\/cowardice-in-the-face-of-fascism-fury-at-house-democrats-willing-to-fund-ice\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Cowardice in the Face of Fascism\u2019: Fury at House Democrats Willing to Fund ICE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"House<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) (speaks alongside Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) during a news conference at the US Capitol on January 8, 2026, in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0(Photo by Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need a strong, unflinching opposition party that is united against the president\u2019s personal paramilitary force,\u201d said Justice Democrats.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stephen Prager<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jan 22, 2026 (CommonDreams.org)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even as opposition to US Immigration<\/a> and Customs Enforcement reaches a fever pitch among voters and within the Democratic caucus amid report after report<\/a> of abject lawlessness<\/a> by the agency, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries<\/a> is refusing to whip the votes that would be necessary to stop the funding bill from passing as it heads to a vote on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic negotiators on the House Appropriations Committee have pushed their colleagues to accept a \u201ccompromise\u201d bill that keeps agency funding flat while supposedly adding new \u201cguardrails\u201d on the agency\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDED…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Senate<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fury Grows Over Democrats Who Won\u2019t Back ICE Funding Freeze<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"US-POLITICS-PROTEST\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u2018A Surrender to Trump\u2019s Lawlessness\u2019: Democrats Warned Against Giving ICE More Money<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

However, as David Dayen explained<\/a> on Wednesday for the American Prospect<\/em>, the bill \u201cfalls short of imposing true accountability on ICE in the wake of the murder of Renee Good in Minneapolis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It \u201cflat-funds\u201d ICE at current levels for the fiscal year, although in real terms it\u2019s an increase to the budget<\/a>, because the previous year included a one-time \u201canomaly\u201d of additional spending. It restricts spending on detention that could theoretically lower capacity to 41,500 beds from a proposed 50,000. And there are some limitations on what DHS can shift from other agencies into ICE. But because the bill includes no penalties or enforcing mechanisms<\/a> to ensure that its funding directives are actually adhered to, these funding boundaries are not terribly meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democratic lawmakers forced other \u201cguardrails\u201d into the bill, like funding for oversight of detention facilities and mandatory body cameras for ICE agents. And additional training is mandated for agents who interact with the public. But other measures, like blocking the detention and deportation of U.S. citizens or borrowing enforcement personnel from other agencies, weren\u2019t added to the bill. And the funding, once again, is not guaranteed, given that the Trump administration<\/a> has routinely withheld or shifted around funding without pushback from Congress.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who served as the chief negotiator for the bill, has struggled to defend it in the face of reports that ICE is abducting<\/a> young children<\/a>, harassing and detaining<\/a> US citizens, and has been directed<\/a> to break into homes without a warrant in violation of the Fourth Amendment as a matter of policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is complicated,\u201d DeLauro admitted<\/a> during a meeting of the House Rules Committee, \u201cwhen you\u2019re both trying to govern, and you\u2019re trying to resist what may be infringements, to thread that needle and try to be able to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, heading into Thursday\u2019s vote, she has maintained that a government shutdown affecting other critical agencies would be more damaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI understand that many of my Democratic colleagues may be dissatisfied with any bill that funds ICE,\u201d\u00a0she said<\/a>. \u201cI share their frustration with the out-of-control agency. I encourage my colleagues to review the bill and determine what is best for their constituents and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X post: https:\/\/x.com\/ChrisMurphyCT\/status\/2014364725774037176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2014364725774037176%7Ctwgr%5Ee214c29f9d6a428db3bfc74c426e38d507b2cb53%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fjeffries-wont-whip-vote<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sen. Chris Murphy<\/a> (D-Conn.), who has been one of Congress\u2019 most outspoken opponents of the bill from the beginning, said that while he understands his colleagues\u2019 objections, he believes that \u201cthe political police force Trump is building at DHS\u2014and their daily violation of the law\u2014threatens to unwind our republic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just Minnesota. DHS is ignoring the law everywhere,\u201d he wrote<\/a> in a lengthy post on social media<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m just back from Texas<\/a>, where DHS is thumbing their nose at the law, disappearing legal residents and kids. Why? Because there are no consequences, they think they will get a bipartisan vote to fund their illegality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said Democrats should be demanding more for their votes, including \u201cstopping DHS from moving personnel\u2014e.g. [Customs and Border Protection]\u2014out of their budgeted missions; requiring warrants for arrests; restoring training and identification protocols.\u201d While he acknowledged that the party \u201chad a hard job,\u201d he said, \u201cthere are no meaningful new restraints in this bill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) joined in,\u00a0saying,<\/a>\u00a0\u201cI will not facilitate the lawlessness of an agency that is murdering young mothers, threatening peaceful protestors with assault rifles, and kidnapping elderly Americans out of their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today, there's a vote to triple the ICE budget.

Here is what is going on and why I am leading the opposition to vote no. pic.twitter.com\/dondL4CDtj<\/a><\/p>— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) January 22, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>