GOP Questions Democrats’ Demand to Ban ICE at Polling Places

Because of Democrat demands to prevent a government shutdown, House Republicans are accusing Senate Democrats of protecting illegal immigrants who vote in American elections.

Democrats are threatening to vote against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which could force a partial shutdown of the federal government this Friday. Democrats have made several demands to keep the government open, including a measure to prohibit immigration enforcement operations near polling locations.

“If illegal aliens aren’t voting as Democrats claim, why would [Senate Minority Leader] Schumer and [House Minority Leader Hakeem] Jeffries be afraid of immigration enforcement near polling locations?” Rep. Mark Harris, R-N.C., told The Daily Signal. “I think the answer is pretty obvious to Americans.”

In a statement shared with The Daily Signal, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., added that those demands are being proposed by people “that don’t want any apprehensions of illegals.”

“And that’s part of the problem,” Johnson continued. “So, we’ve talked about things that are reasonable and achievable, and those just aren’t.”

Other demands made by Schumer, D-N.Y., include Immigration and Customs Enforcement to adopt universal use-of-force standards, stop immigration operations near schools, require officers to identify themselves, and forbid agents from wearing masks.

Additional demands include opening the door for states to sue DHS and barring DHS officers from entering private property without a judicial warrant. Johnson claimed the latter is “not a workable standard.”

“The idea that you would have a whole new layer of judicial warrant necessitated before you could apprehend and deport someone is not a workable standard,” Johnson stated.

Despite the pushback from House Republicans, Schumer has not indicated if he will de-escalate his demands in order to secure funding for DHS, which Johnson claims could place the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Border Patrol, the Secret Service, and the Transportation Security Administration in a “lurch.”

“We’ve got to keep government funded,” Johnson continued. “We have to keep the essential services going. It’s a very important time right now.”

Schumer did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.