House Democrats Oppose DHS Bill Over ICE Reforms

LEAD: House Democratic leaders told their members in a closed-door meeting Wednesday that they will vote no on the Homeland Security funding bill, signaling an overwhelming majority of the 213 House Democrats oppose the measure because it fails to rein in Immigration and Customs Enforcement, two people in the room said.

CONTEXT: The opposition comes after the Jan. 7 killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis and the release on Jan. 20, 2026 of a 1,059-page bipartisan minibus that keeps ICE funding at $10 billion as lawmakers race to meet a Jan. 30 funding deadline, congressional statements and media interviews show.

RESPONSE: Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told reporters after the meeting, "In the last 24 hours, we've heard our members speak loudly that ICE isn't doing enough, these reforms aren't doing enough," and he, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., all announced their no votes Wednesday, Aguilar's office and reporters said.

SCALE: The funding package released Jan. 20, 2026 spans 1,059 pages and would keep ICE's overall budget at $10 billion while cutting $115 million from ICE enforcement and removal operations, reducing ICE detention capacity by 5,500 beds and earmarking $20 million for body-worn cameras for ICE personnel, Rep. Rosa DeLauro's office and committee documents show.

FORWARD: The House is scheduled to vote on the Homeland Security bill Thursday with Republican leaders planning a separate vote and Democratic leaders saying they will not whip members on the measure—potentially allowing moderates including Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who negotiated the bill, to join Republicans to pass funding before the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline, two sources and DeLauro's office said.