White House offers body camera expansion, immigration enforcement limitations in DHS reopening bid

The White House this week unveiled a fresh counteroffer in a bid to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which remains shut down as airport security lines grow and tensions escalate in the Middle East.

In a letter outlining the status of negotiations with Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill, the White House agreed to implement some reforms to its tactics when carrying out President Trump‘s deportation agenda, including expanding the use of body-worn cameras and limiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations around “sensitive locations,” such as schools and hospitals.  

The administration also said it would increase oversight of DHS detention facilities, enforce “the use of visible officer identification” during operations and require officers to identify themselves and their agency when requested.

Undercover officers would be exempted from the body camera and identification requirements, according to the letter.

Border czar Tom Homan and James Braid, the director of DHS‘s office of legislative affairs, wrote that the changes would be “layered on top of the updates” that were negotiated and passed in the House earlier this month.

Still, the administration is holding firm in opposing Democrats’ other demands, which include a comprehensive ban on masks and face coverings and the need to obtain a judicial warrant before entering private property.

The concessions came a day after the White House said it was reviewing a counteroffer sent by Democrats late Monday evening, as negotiations continue to show few signs of progress.

Republicans have sought to use the escalating conflict with Iran to pressure Democrats into reopening DHS by emphasizing the agency’s role in counterterrorism efforts.

The shutdown is also straining Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations as officers are going unpaid, leading to more callouts and hundreds quitting the force altogether.

Recent Democratic efforts to force a vote to fund agencies within the department, excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), have been blocked by Republicans.

On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) cast the proposal that was floated by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as an attempt to “defund the police.”

“One of the dumbest political ideas may be in the history of American politics — but the Democrats aren’t done with it,” Scalise said. “Now that you’re in another moment of Democrat-created chaos, what is their answer? To defund law enforcement again.”

Each side has accused the other of refusing to negotiate in good faith since the shutdown began in mid-February, following months of scrutiny against DHS that intensified after two U.S. citizens were shot and killed by federal immigration officers in Minnesota.

“The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for more than 30 days because Donald Trump and Republican extremists refuse to get ICE under control,” Jeffries wrote in a letter to fellow Democrats on Monday. “Meanwhile, hardworking employees of the TSA, CISA, Coast Guard and FEMA have been forced to work without pay.” 

Trump’s decision to replace Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following weeks of pressure did little to move the needle.

Julia Manchester contributed.

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