By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
Contributing Writer
Top Department of Homeland Security officials appearing at a Tuesday congressional hearing said that America will be less safe and thousands of federal employees will be affected if the agency shuts down at the end of the week.
Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told committee members that it will be difficult for his officers to fulfill their duty to protect the United States if DHS is defunded.
“It will have a great impact, especially on the Homeland Security Task Forces and the men and women that are focused on the transnational crime and foreign terrorist organizations,” Lyons told committee members.
Likewise, Rodney Scott, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said that the rhetoric and politicization of law enforcement undermine personnel morale.
“I would agree America becomes less safe,” Scott said.
Their comments came as Republicans and Democrats negotiate a DHS funding bill ahead of a Friday shutdown deadline. Democrats have insisted that changes be made to immigration enforcement practices as part of the package.
Democrats began demanding changes in the way ICE operates after recent efforts to deport illegal immigrants in Minneapolis triggered protests, some of which turned violent. Two protesters were shot and killed during ICE operations in the city.
Key Democratic demands include new use-of-force standards, clearer identification for DHS officers, and judicial warrants. They also want to stop what they alleged to be racial profiling.
“Our position has been clear: Dramatic changes are needed at the Department of Homeland Security before a DHS funding bill moves forward,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said at a weekly press conference on Monday.
Democrats have also raised the issue of requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras, an idea DHS appears to support.
Lyons said during Tuesday’s hearing that more than 3,000 of 13,000 ICE agents in the field currently have cameras, with 6,000 more on the way.
Scott added that 10,000 of the 20,000 border patrol agents currently have body cameras.
Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said Tuesday that employees at the Transportation Security Administration and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will be hard hit by the looming shutdown.
“My top priority as chairman is, and will always be, protecting America while ensuring the safety of law enforcement. This is further important in the context of another potential shutdown of the department,” Garbarino said.
Republicans at the hearing indicated that curtailing roving patrols in Minneapolis could be a point on which both sides agree.
“I believe that these roving patrols should be done at the border rather than in the major cities of the United States,” said Texas Republican Rep. Michael McCaul.
Texas Rep. August Pfluger, who chairs the conservative Republican Study Committee, said that roving patrols are among the things “up for discussion” as lawmakers and the White House try to hash out a DHS funding deal.
During the hearing, Rep. Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., brought up a longstanding Democratic demand that ICE agents remove their masks.
“There needs to be major reforms before we vote to give any of you funding. Your agencies need to act like other law enforcement agencies,” he said.
However, requiring officers to remove masks could put agents and their families at risk due to doxing and threats, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday.
Neither side appeared optimistic about reaching a compromise before the looming deadline.
“Until the other side proves me wrong, that they don’t want to abolish ICE, that they do want to enforce the laws, you know that we’re going to be in a tough spot,” Pfluger said.
Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on Monday the counterproposal was “incomplete and insufficient,” lacking details and legislative text.
As of Tuesday, the counterproposal had not been released publicly.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the proposal.
Nathan Worcester contributed to this report.
