Senate Democrats are drawing a preemptive red line on ICE reforms, telling Axios any sanctuary city crackdown is dead on arrival.
- "It's a nonstarter. The whole term is really misleading," Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said, adding that changes to state and local rules would "grant ICE even greater authority over local law enforcement."
Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-N.Y.) rank-and-file are in no mood to let Republicans turn a debate about ICE's use of force into a conversation over the issue long championed by President Trump.
- "I know they're trying to change the conversation, but the issue is ICE's conduct," Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told Axios. "That's the issue before us, and we should not let them change the subject."
- "There aren't sanctuary cities in statute," Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) said. "There are places where people have different levels of cooperation, and that's up to those localities — but there isn't a national sanctuary-city policy."
The other side: "These magnets of illegal immigration have to go," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said this week.
- "There is no upside to sanctuary cities unless you are a complete radical nutjob."
What we're hearing: Negotiations over a narrower set of ICE reforms could make it easier to prevent the Department of Homeland Security from shutting down Friday night.
- "There are certain red lines both sides won't negotiate on, but there are some things they will negotiate on — and that's where I think the potential deal space is," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters.
What's next: Thune moved Tuesday evening to set up a Thursday vote on the House-passed DHS bill. He can always swap in a short-term spending stopgap, if Democrats agree.
- Schumer signaled Tuesday he's willing to give negotiations some room to breathe — but he also wants to keep the pressure on the White House.
- "There's no reason we can't get this done by Thursday," Schumer told reporters. He did not rule out supporting a short-term spending bill.
- Thune hasn't ruled out scheduling votes on Friday, which would complicate some senators' plans to attend the Munich Security Conference.
