Senate Democrats played hardball during the government shutdown, and they won. Now with the American people demanding that ICE be reined in, The Democrats did something both practical and tough.
In the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer laid out what Democrats and the vast majority of Americans want:
Let’s be clear: Democrats are poised to pass five bipartisan funding bills in the Senate. We are ready to adopt them today. We are prepared to fund 96% of the federal government today. But the DHS bill still needs a lot of work.
So, after meeting in caucus yesterday, Senate Democrats are united on three main goals that will curb ICE and end the violence. Conquer ICE and end the violence. First, end roving patrols. Second, impose accountability. Third, remove masks and body cameras. Each agent must have visible identification.
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Again, we must first end indiscriminate ICE patrols. We need to tighten the rules governing the use of warrants. ICE must stop the massive, chaotic patrols. They must work with state and local law enforcement, not against them. This means no more ICE agents bursting into people’s homes without a court warrant. When is this happening in America? This is a blatant violation of 4th amendment. It also means putting an end to the systematic harassment of American communities.
First, laws and safeguards must be established. Ssince ICE often ignores the law, consequences are the next step in any agreement.
The headline is that a deal was reached to avoid a shutdown, but the bigger story is that Democrats did something smart, which we’ll talk about below.