Washington, District of Columbia — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told fellow Democrats during a closed-door caucus meeting Wednesday that he opposes a House bill funding the Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to multiple sources familiar with his remarks.
Jeffries’ position places him alongside a growing bloc of Democrats who argue the legislation fails to meaningfully rein in ICE following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal immigration officer earlier this month. Sources told Axios that at least five House Democrats spoke against the bill during the meeting, while none voiced support. Rep. Gabe Vasquez of New Mexico, a swing-district lawmaker, later described his position as a firm “hell no.”
Jeffries reportedly told members that Democratic leadership had proposed five accountability measures aimed at ICE and related DHS operations, all of which were rejected by Republicans during negotiations. While he supports other appropriations bills scheduled for House votes this week, Jeffries said those rejected provisions left him unable to back the DHS package.
Progressive advocacy groups have intensified pressure on lawmakers. MoveOn said it delivered more than 40,000 letters urging Democrats to oppose ICE funding, while Indivisible is organizing coordinated economic slowdowns in Minnesota to protest continued enforcement operations.
Some centrist Democrats remain undecided, though the bill is expected to pass largely along party lines. The DHS vote is separate from a broader spending package funding several other federal departments.
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