Seven Dems Vote to Back DHS Funding Bill Amid ICE ‘Controversies’

Seven House Democrats broke with party leadership Thursday to help Republicans pass a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending bill that fully funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), defying demands from Democratic leaders who sought tighter restrictions on the agency.

The DHS measure passed 220–207, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) casting the lone Republican vote against it. The bill now heads to the Senate as lawmakers scramble to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of the Jan. 30 deadline.

The DHS funding bill is part of a broader $1.2 trillion spending package that includes four appropriations measures funding multiple federal departments, including War, Education, Labor, Transportation, and Health and Human Services. That larger package passed overwhelmingly, 341–88, marking the first time in nearly 30 years that Congress has completed full-year funding bills without relying on massive omnibus legislation or temporary continuing resolutions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) praised the outcome as a return to constitutional order and responsible governance.

“We will be making history this week, having moved 12 appropriations bills through the process,” Johnson said. “A lot of people thought it would be impossible, but we stuck to it and stuck together.”

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of finishing the job.

“We aren’t here for just another stopgap temporary fix,” Cole said on the House floor. “We are here to finish the job by providing full-year funding. This measure is a product of sustained engagement and serious legislation.”

While the broader spending package drew bipartisan support, the DHS bill sparked fierce opposition from most Democrats, who accused the Trump administration of failing to impose sufficient limits on ICE enforcement.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) sharply criticized the administration, accusing it of abusing taxpayer funds and citing a recent ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis.

“Kristi Noem and ICE are out of control,” Jeffries claimed. “Taxpayer dollars are being misused to brutalize U.S. citizens, including the tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good. This extremism must end.”

Despite the backlash, seven Democrats sided with Republicans, arguing that keeping the government open and maintaining funding for essential services outweighed partisan pressure.

House Democratic Whip Pete Aguilar (D-CA) acknowledged internal divisions within the caucus.

“All the guardrails in the world don’t make sense if the administration isn’t going to follow the law and the language that we pass,” Aguilar said. “Ultimately, members are going to vote for what’s in the best interest of their districts.”

The DHS bill includes new requirements for ICE agents to wear body cameras and receive additional training on public interactions. Progressive lawmakers dismissed those measures as insufficient, insisting they fail to provide meaningful oversight.

Resistance is now building among Senate Democrats. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, signaled he would oppose the bill despite having participated in negotiations.

“The bill lacks meaningful constraints on the growing lawlessness of ICE and increases funding for detention over last year’s appropriations,” Murphy said. “Democrats have no obligation to support a bill that funds the dystopian scenes we are seeing in Minneapolis and allows DHS to replicate that playbook of brutality across the country.”

Still, following the longest government shutdown in U.S. history earlier this year, many lawmakers appear reluctant to trigger another crisis. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) suggested a path forward remains open.

“Democrats and Republicans alike understand that the American people don’t want more chaos in Washington,” Schumer said. “We can fund the government and still have a serious conversation about how to make ICE accountable — those goals are not mutually exclusive.”

The Senate is expected to take up the funding package next week. If approved, it would fund the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2026 and lock in President Donald J. Trump’s immigration enforcement priorities — despite continued resistance from the Democratic left.