Democrats Put the Country in Peril in Order to Halt Immigration Enforcement, Charges FAIR

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Congressional Democrats have made it clear, once again, that they have no greater priority than shielding illegal aliens from removal from the country, charges the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which began at midnight on Saturday, is the result of absurd demands being made by Democrats that would effectively end any sort of meaningful interior immigration enforcement.

"The refusal of the minority party to agree to funding for DHS means that many dedicated government workers will, once again, go without paychecks, travel will be delayed or canceled and, most importantly, the security of the nation will be put at risk," said Dale Wilcox, executive director and general counsel of FAIR.

"Earlier this year, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans agreed to avert a wider shutdown by considering DHS funding separately from that of the rest of the federal government. However, rather than negotiating in good faith about DHS funding, congressional Democrats have now decided to hold the vital interests and security of the American people hostage to radical demands that would make it all but impossible for ICE to arrest and remove illegal aliens from the country," Wilcox continued.

Three key Democratic demands for approving funding for DHS are requiring ICE to obtain judicial warrants, rather than administrative warrants, before arresting illegal aliens; severely limiting where ICE can execute arrests of illegal aliens; and barring ICE agents from protecting their identities by wearing masks.

"During the Biden administration, millions of illegal aliens were allowed to enter the country with little or no vetting. Requiring judicial warrants to arrest and remove even a small number of those illegal aliens, and the many more who were already here, would be so cumbersome as to guarantee that virtually all of them would avoid removal, including dangerous criminals and national security threats.

"Likewise, barring ICE agents from operating in tens of thousands of locations would turn the entire country into a 3.8 million square mile sanctuary for illegal aliens. And, while ICE agents have faced a 1,300 percent increase in assaults over the past year, preventing them from shielding their identities would put them and their families in even greater danger," charged Wilcox.

"Democrats are engaging in blatant political blackmail and must be held accountable for jeopardizing the vital interests and security of the American people in order to prevent the federal law enforcement agency charged with finding and removing illegal aliens from doing its job," Wilcox concluded.

To schedule an interview with one of FAIR's spokespersons, please contact Hayley Hill at [email protected].

SOURCE Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)