Standoff over masked agents fuels the latest partial government shutdown

WASHINGTON— The dispute over whether federal immigration officers should be allowed to wear masks during enforcement operations has become one of the biggest hurdles to securing funding for the Department of Homeland Security, pushing the government into a partial shutdown early Saturday.

Democrats described the practice as undermining public trust, arguing that masked agents created the appearance of a “secret police” force. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers, President Trump and his top advisers have taken a hard line against requiring officers to remove face coverings, insisting it would expose them to harassment, threats and the disclosure of personal information online.

“They want our law enforcement to be completely defenseless and put themselves in grave danger,” Trump said at a White House event on Thursday. He added that Democrats’ demands, such as unmasking federal officers, would be “very, very difficult to approve.”

Disagreement over masking stalled negotiations as lawmakers raced to meet a midnight Friday deadline for funding for the Department of Homeland Security. If a deal is not reached, the agency’s core functions, from airport security to disaster relief coordination, could be affected if the closure lasts for a long time.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that, as with any shutdown, the agency’s essential functions will continue to operate. But employees who perform these duties at agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration may stay without pay if the shutdown lasts for weeks.

The heads of those agencies told the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee on Wednesday that the shutdown is expected to create serious and lasting hardships.

Acting Coast Guard Deputy Commandant Vice Admiral Thomas Allan said the closure would delay maintenance of boats and aircraft and the salaries of 56,000 active-duty reserve personnel and civilian personnel would also be cut. Ha Nguyen McNeill, acting administrator of the TSA, explained how the recent government shutdown affected its employees and how wait times at airports increased.

“We have heard reports of cops sleeping in their cars at airports to save on gas, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet,” he said, adding that some were still trying to recover from the financial impact.

Operations at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which are at the center of the budget stalemate, are likely to be least affected. That’s because both agencies still have access to $75 billion in funding approved last year as part of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.”

It remained unclear when the partial shutdown would end as lawmakers left Washington for a security conference in Munich at noon Friday and progress between Democratic Party and White House negotiators remained unclear.

“We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters Friday when asked about cutting the deal. “We always need to protect our legal power”

The partial government shutdown comes at a time of intense public outrage over the agency’s approach to immigration enforcement, including the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, in Minneapolis.

Since the clashes, the Trump administration has tried to quell tensions. Border policy adviser Tom Homan said Thursday that the administration has ended its immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced earlier this month that the agency would acquire body cameras and distribute them to federal agents. Trump also said he wanted apply a “softer touch” to immigration enforcement After the murders of Good and Pretti.

However, Democrats argue that the reforms should be reflected in the law. Their demands include requiring officers to wear and turn on body cameras, banning them from wearing masks, and ending “roaming patrols” and instead requiring them to conduct only targeted operations.

“We will not support an extension of the status quo, a status quo that allows masked undercover police to enter people’s homes without a warrant, without guardrails, and with zero oversight from independent authorities,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor Thursday.

Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of ICE, told a Senate panel Thursday that he doesn’t want to see federal agents masked but is hesitant to ban face masks because the threats against agents are so severe.

“I would work with this committee and any committee to hold individuals accountable to doxx ICE agents because ICE agents do not want to be masked,” Lyons said. “They are honorable men and women, but the threats to their families are real.”

Federal immigration officials are more supportive of body cameras.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott told a House committee on Tuesday that he supports expanding the use of body cameras but needs more funding to hire staff to oversee the rollout.

“Fund the entire program so we can be transparent and let America know what we’re doing, because that trust is critically important,” he said.

Ben Johnson, executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Assn., said that although the White House has made “some adjustments to oversight,” its actions remain inadequate.

The association, which represents 18,000 immigration lawyers, called on Congress to deny more funding to ICE and CBP before implementing reforms.

“The American people want and deserve real, meaningful guardrails written into law that will ensure that this administration, and frankly every administration, abides by the Constitution and respects the fundamental principles of due process,” Johnson said on a call with reporters Wednesday.

“Congress now has a critical opportunity to meet this demand,” he added.

Republican Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Rand Paul of Kentucky speak at a hearing on federal immigration enforcement on Thursday.

(CQ-Roll Call via Tom Williams/Getty Images)

Democrats have so far argued they will continue to block funding bills without accountability measures.

California’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla, were among Senate Democrats who helped block passage of funding bills that would have prevented the shutdown on Thursday because they lacked accountability measures.

“I will not support more funding for ICE until new barriers are in place to rein in its lawless behavior,” Schiff wrote of X. “I’m not against anything other than real reform.”

Padilla said his “absolute no” would be until lawmakers agree that federal immigration officials should be held accountable.

“Donald Trump and Republicans want Americans to forget about illegal immigration roundups, but we won’t do that,” Padilla said.