Senate Democrats played a tough role in the government shutdown, and they won. Now, with the American people demand that ICE be reined in, The Democrats have done something that is both practical and hardline.
On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer explained what Democrats, and the vast majority of Americans, want:
Let me be clear: Democrats are prepared to pass five bipartisan funding bills in the Senate. We are ready to pass them on today. We are ready to fund 96% of the federal government today. But the DHS bill still needs a lot of work.
So, after meeting as a caucus yesterday, Senate Democrats agreed on three main goals that will rein in ICE and end the violence. Restrain ICE and end the violence. First, put an end to the roaming patrols. Second, enforce accountability. Third, masks off and body cameras off. Every officer must have a visible identification card.
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So again, first we need to end ICE’s random patrols. We need to tighten the rules for the use of warrants. ICE must stop the massive, chaotic patrols. They need to work with the state law enforcement agencies, the local law enforcement agencies – and not against them. That means no more ICE agents raiding people’s homes without a court order. When will that ever happen in America? It is a blatant violation of the 4e change. It also means stopping the harassment of American communities with dragnets.
First, laws and guardrails must be established. SBecause ICE often ignores the law, consequences are the next step in any agreement.
The main headline is that a deal has been reached to avoid a shutdown, but the big story is that the Democrats did something smart, which we’ll talk about below.
