LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The clock is ticking for the Department of Homeland Security, where one week from today, the agency is due to run out of baseline funding.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Lawmakers have been talking about a new but, so far, elusive deal that would revamp the way federal immigration agents do their jobs. In a few minutes, we hear from one of the Democrats in those talks, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. We begin with the facts.
FADEL: NPR congressional correspondent Claudia Grisales has been following all this and joins us now. Good morning, Claudia.
CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Good morning, Leila.
FADEL: OK. So Democrats have this new list expanding on specific reforms they want to see. What is new in these demands?
GRISALES: Right. They released a 10-point plan for DHS immigration law enforcement agents in a letter to their GOP counterparts, part of a continuing response to the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month. And we heard Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries reiterate some of their past asks, such as the removal of masks for DHS immigration law enforcement agents, the mandatory use of body cameras and rules for the use of force. But now they also want these agents to wear identifying information, like their last name, and an end to what they call paramilitary police. And that is why they want standard uniforms and equipment, to bring them in line with civil enforcement. They also want expanded training, and they want officers removed from the job if they do use force for the duration of an investigation.
FADEL: There's also big concerns about the warrants used in these deportation actions, right? What can you tell us about that?
GRISALES: Yeah. They want to ensure that DHS officers are using judicial warrants instead of what's happening now, where DHS is using warrants written by agency officials. Democrats say judges should be signing off and that these administrative warrants risk violating people's Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. They also want other basic rights protected, such as immediate access to legal representation for those who are taken into custody and charged. As part of all this, they want heightened oversight, such as allowing members to access detention facilities regardless of who funds them.
FADEL: Are Republicans open to these demands?
GRISALES: Well, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are not clear they can get this done. There are some areas Republicans say they'll support - things like body cameras. But there are others that are flatly rejecting, for example, getting rid of masks. That's been a nonstarter for Republicans, who say that doing so would put agents at risk of being targeted. The Democrats argue this is how they're held accountable. So Republicans aren't shutting down the overall proposal as of yet, but there's still a lot of negotiating left to do and not a lot of time. And one option could be another stopgap bill that kicks the can down the road for a few more weeks.
FADEL: OK. So it looks like there's openings for negotiation - not much time, like you said. But what if these talks end up breaking down entirely? What happens then?
GRISALES: Well, as we know, Immigration and Customs Enforcement got a huge injection of cash last year with the partisan GOP plan they dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill. In fact, they got $75 billion, which makes them the government's largest law enforcement agency. So it wouldn't make much of a difference when it comes to ICE, which is the thing Democrats want to reform. But the rest of the agency would lose out. That includes the Coast Guard, the TSA, disaster response at FEMA. So both sides still, however, want to own this issue, and they want to take a winning message to voters in the midterms this year. So a lot of incentive there as well.
FADEL: That's NPR's Claudia Grisales. Thanks, Claudia.
GRISALES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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