These Are the Democrat ICE Reform Demands the GOP Calls 'Impossible'

"It is beyond tragic that it took the shooting deaths of two American citizens in Minnesota at the hands of ICE and Border Patrol to freshly mobilize American sentiment against the Department of Homeland Security's ongoing immigrant purge, but now that it has finally happened, Democratic members of Congress need to be taking advantage of this moment as strongly as they possibly can, in order to pass legislation reining in the power of these DHS agencies to infringe upon the civil liberties of Americans."

"This is a rare opportunity indeed: The typically feckless Congressional Democrats have already managed the difficult work of separating the funding of DHS from other bills that passed this week to end the partial government shutdown, which gives them a purity of purpose (and ability to limit collateral damage) that they don't usually have. They can stick to their demands for the reform of ICE, secure in the knowledge that shutting down DHS will affect only DHS."

"Will some government workers in departments such as FEMA or the Transportation Security Administration also get swept up into the shutdown of DHS, being forced to work without pay? This is unfortunately the case, but this is also likely the best chance that Capitol Hill Democrats will ever have to reform ICE during the Trump administration to any substantive degree."

Two fatal shootings by ICE and Border Patrol in Minnesota have galvanized public opposition to DHS immigrant enforcement tactics. Democratic lawmakers separated DHS funding from other end-of-shutdown legislation, creating a focused leverage point to press for ICE reforms without broader legislative collateral. A DHS funding lapse would primarily impact DHS operations, though some FEMA and TSA workers could be required to work without pay. This window may represent the best chance to secure substantive limits on DHS authority during the Trump administration, but historical tendencies to accept compromises threaten the prospects for lasting, meaningful reform.

Read at Jezebel