Progressive Democrats are threatening to leverage the end-of-January government funding deadline to push restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), escalating tensions within their party following the fatal shooting of a woman who struck an ICE agent with her car in Minneapolis.
Anger erupted among progressive lawmakers following the January 7 shooting of a 37-year-old woman by an ICE officer during operations in Minneapolis. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the woman “weaponized her vehicle, attempting to run over our law enforcement officers in an attempt to kill them — an act of domestic terrorism.” An ICE officer, “fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public,” fired defensive shots, according to the agency.
In response, a growing number of Democrats are demanding restrictions on ICE operations and are considering withholding support for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding as the January 31 deadline approaches.
While House and Senate Democrat leaders attempted to focus attention on healthcare-related policy priorities, such as extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, a growing faction within the party is linking the DHS appropriations process to immigration enforcement changes. “Democrats cannot vote for a DHS budget that doesn’t restrain the growing lawlessness of this agency,” remarked Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) in a post on X. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) also stated: “We can’t just keep authorizing money for these illegal killers. That’s what they are, this rogue force.”
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) expressed a similar view, emphasizing the end-of-month continuing resolution (CR) deadline as an opportunity to act: “Statements and letters are not enough, and the appropriations process and the CR expiring Jan. 31 is our opportunity.” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told Axios that the ICE agent involved should be arrested, and called for opposition to the “hundreds of billions of dollars going to a lawless agency.”
Calls for DHS-related shutdown leverage put Democrats on a collision course with their leadership. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) earlier explained that a shutdown was “not on the table,” but also refused to rule one out when discussing Democratic plans to extend expiring health insurance subsidies. “We’re not going to get healthcare done if the Republicans stay in shambles,” he argued, calling the Democrat-led proposal “the only way to get this done.”
This escalation follows last year’s 43-day government shutdown — the longest in U.S. history — which ended after Democrats held out for partisan spending demands including healthcare subsidies and funding for illegal immigrants. As Breitbart News previously reported, President Donald Trump criticized the shutdown as a failed attempt to “extort” the American taxpayer. “They deprived more than one million government workers from their paychecks and cut off food stamp benefits for millions,” Trump declared at the bill signing to reopen the government in November 2025.
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) later admitted the prolonged closure was “worth it,” a stance also taken by Sen. Jack Reed (D‑RI). Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) also acknowledged that allowing families to suffer was part of the leverage strategy.
“There’s a real possibility we go into a shutdown January 30,” warned Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK). He noted that with staff pay and SNAP benefits already funded — two major pressure points during the last shutdown — there may be less incentive among Democrats to avoid another one.
Rep. Mark Alford (R-MO) also contended Democrats are steering toward another standoff. “They want chaos in our country, and we’re not going to allow it,” he observed in a December interview, cautioning that the left is again weaponizing shutdown threats for political gain.
Recent remarks from Democratic officials directly reflect a broader messaging strategy centered on chaos ahead of the 2026 election. “The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) indicated that state police and the National Guard would be ready to protect Minnesotans “if it is a rogue federal agent.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed the theme, stating that ICE agents “create chaos, and they even create deaths.”
Despite Democratic efforts to frame the issue as chaos induced by federal enforcement, crime data reveals a different national picture. Nationwide homicides dropped by approximately 16% in 2025, according to analyst Jeff Asher. Yet, Minneapolis remained an outlier with 76 homicides in 2024, up from 72 the year prior — well above pre-pandemic levels.
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