Democrats are united on their demands for ICE reform. Democrats also said they will no longer cast votes on continuing resolutions to keep the Department of Homeland Security and ICE funded after next Friday.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is already preparing a new continuing resolution and plans to decide Friday whether it will be short- or long-term.
To understand how unreasonable the Republican position is, look at the list of democratic demands:
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Targeted enforcement – DHS officials cannot enter private property without a court order. End arbitrary arrests and improve arrest procedures and standards. Require verification that a person is not a U.S. citizen before he or she is held in immigration detention.
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No masks – Prohibit ICE and immigration enforcement officers from wearing face coverings.
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Required ID – Require DHS officers conducting immigration enforcement to display their agency, unique ID number and last name. Ask them to say their ID number and last name if prompted.
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Protect sensitive locations – Prohibit funds from being used for enforcement near sensitive locations, including medical facilities, schools, childcare facilities, churches, polling places, courts, etc.
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Stop ethnic profiling – Prohibit DHS officials from conducting stops, interrogations, and searches based on an individual’s presence in certain locations, their job, their spoken language and accent, or their race and ethnicity.
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Uphold standards for the use of force – Enact reasonable use of force policies, expand training and require officer certification. In the event of an incident, the officer must be removed from the premises until an investigation is completed.
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Provide state and local coordination and oversight – Maintaining the ability of state and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute potential crimes and incidents of excessive force. Require evidence to be preserved and shared with jurisdictions. Require the consent of states and localities to conduct large-scale operations beyond targeted immigration enforcement.
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Build safeguards into the system – Make it clear that all facilities where people are held must meet the same basic detention standards that require immediate access to a person’s attorney to avoid arrests or detention of citizens. Allow states to sue DHS for violating any requirements. Prohibit restrictions on member visits to ICE facilities, regardless of how those facilities are funded.
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Body cameras for accountability, not tracking – Require the use of body-worn cameras when interacting with the public and establish requirements for the storage and access of footage. Prohibit tracking, creating, or maintaining databases of individuals participating in First Amendment activities.
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No paramilitary police – Regulate and standardize the types of uniforms and equipment that DHS officers carry during enforcement operations to bring them into line with civilian enforcement.
Everything Democrats have proposed is standard practice for local law enforcement, and Republicans oppose it.
