Johnson, Thune reach deal to reopen DHS that leaves out ICE

Republican leaders in Congress announced Wednesday that they reached a deal to end a partial government shutdown that caused chaos at airports.

The agreement between Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune, would restore funding to most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and would leave in a separate bill spending related to immigration enforcement, which has generated more conflict.

It is a radical turnaround for Republican lawmakers in the lower House, who a few days ago rejected a similar proposal supported by the Senate, but revived under pressure from President Donald Trump.

Funding through the end of the fiscal year for DHS

Under the deal, DHS would remain funded through the end of the fiscal year, while agencies that enforce anti-immigration policy, particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would rely on funds approved last year.

"By adopting this two-pronged approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the department" and "ensure that all federal officers are paid their salaries," Johnson and Thune celebrated in a joint statement. In the note, they again charged the Democrats for their inflexibility and for putting "loyalty to their radical left-wing baseabove all else."

"We operated under a belief that while our country is in the midst of an international armed conflict, Democrats might finally come to their senses and understand that defunding our homeland security agencies is beyond reckless and very dangerous. While we hoped they would accept the 60-day CR to fund the Department entirely so that bipartisan negotiations could continue, it is now abundantly clear that Democrats place allegiance to their radical left-wing base above all else — including their own power of the purse — which means open borders and protecting criminal illegal aliens. That is not acceptable to Republicans in Congress, nor is it to the American people. We cannot allow Democrats to any longer put the safety of the American public at risk through their open border policies, so we are taking that off the table."

Democratic inflexibility

The ongoing partial budget standoff forced thousands of air terminal security officers to work without pay since mid-February, pending Trump's signing of an executive order to have their salaries paid.

Democrats have opposed funding for DHS and immigration enforcement following the January deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both of whom were shot by federal agents in Minneapolis after confronting them. The incidents sparked protests across the country and raised concerns about the use of force, which has been seized upon by the Democrats to make it the main line of its opposition to Trump.

Democrats refused to back funding for immigration enforcement agencies without new limits on their operations, including warrant requirements and restrictions on the use of masks or ski masks by agents. Those demands were not included in the final agreement.