Approximately 500 truck drivers were taken off the road for not meeting English proficiency standards in just three days with a “targeted” operation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) last month.
Operation SafeDRIVE occurred in 26 states and Washington, D.C., from Jan. 13-15, and it’s expected to be the “first phase” to crack down on both drivers and vehicles that might lead to road safety issues.
There were 704 drivers taken off the road in total (about 500 of whom were truck drivers), along with 1,231 vehicles out of 8,215 inspections. Notably, there were 56 people arrested as part of the operation, including those who are in the country illegally or for driving under the influence.
“Operation SafeDRIVE shows what happens when we work together with our law enforcement partners to pull unqualified drivers and vehicles off American roads,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement.
“We need a whole-of-government approach to ensure the Trump Administration’s strong standards of safety are in place to protect American families and reduce road accidents,” he added.
The operation comes as the Trump administration has announced major crackdowns on Commercial Driver’s Licenses for illegal immigrants, especially after three people were allegedly killed on a Florida turnpike by Indian national Harjinder Singh, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-illegal-immigrant-truck-drivers-ended-up-on-americas-roads" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported. Last May, Duffy signed an order saying that if a driver cannot meet the English proficiency standards, they’ll be taken off the road.
&#8220;The failure to adequately enforce driver qualification standards poses serious safety concerns and increases the likelihood for a crash. As part of the driver qualification standard, FMCSA believes a driver’s failure to comply with the ELP qualification requirements constitutes a safety risk and that this risk was underestimated in previous agency enforcement discretion. Increased enforcement and the consequence of placing a driver out of service, instead of simply citing a driver for the violation, will lead to increased safety,&#8221; the policy <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/2025-05/FMCSA%20ELP%20Guidance%20with%20Attachments%20Final%20%285-20-2025%29_Redacted.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memo</a> states.
The government spending package signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday also solidified the president&#8217;s April 2025 <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-enforces-commonsense-rules-of-the-road-for-americas-truck-drivers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Executive Order</a> on the issue, according to <a href="https://www.overdriveonline.com/regulations/article/15816338/funding-bill-signed-into-law-codifies-english-proficiency-as-truck-driver-requirement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Overdrive</a>.
On Thursday, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-alien-trucker-let-in-by-bidens-cbp-one-app-kills-four-people-in-indiana-crash?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Illegal+Alien+Trucker+Let+In+By+Biden%E2%80%99s+CBP+One+App+Kills+Four+People+In+Indiana+Crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported that a truck driver illegally in the United States from Kyrgyzstan, who came in through the Biden administration’s CBP One app, allegedly killed four people in a Tuesday crash in Indiana.
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs said that the “operation was about safety.”
“When drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk. Operation SafeDRIVE demonstrates the value of focused enforcement and strong partnerships in removing these drivers and vehicles from our roads,” Barrs said.

Department Of Transportation Chief Sean Duffy Holds News Conference On Ongoing Issues At Newark Airport

Hundreds Of Truckers Taken Off Road For English Proficiency Concerns In Nationwide Operation

Department of Transportation

illegal immigrants

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Sean Duffy

U.S.

A Nicaraguan national illegally in the United States, who was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for allegedly assaulting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, was released into the U.S. by the Biden administration, The Daily Wire has first learned.
Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez, 33, came to the U.S. through the Paso Del Norte bridge in Texas on Dec. 2, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire.
During his arrest on Dec. 17 by ICE in a “targeted vehicle stop,” he allegedly “forcefully resisted, including backing his vehicle into a law enforcement vehicle with an officer still inside, fleeing his vehicle, elbowing an officer in the face, attempting to unholster an officer’s service weapon, biting an officer’s arm, and striking an officer in the forehead with a swinging handcuff,” according to the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/nicaragua-national-who-unlawfully-attempted-purchase-firearm-indicted-assault-ice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice (DOJ)</a> and DHS.
The operation was triggered by Davila-Perez’s effort to illegally obtain a firearm from a federal firearms licensee by pretending to be an American citizen. The purchase was ultimately rejected due to his illegal status, according to the DOJ, which announced his indictment on Wednesday.
Officers walked away from the incident with “contusions, abrasions, and a bite mark.” If convicted, Davila-Perez could face up to a $250,000 fine and 20 years behind bars.
<div id="attachment_1039685" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1039685" class="size-medium wp-image-1039685" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Image-300x270.png" alt="Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez" width="300" height="270" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Image-300x270.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Image.png 420w" sizes=" (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Mugshot of Darwin Alexander Davila-Perez, first obtained by The Daily Wire. (Department of Homeland Security)</div>
“Davila-Perez not only chose to break our nation’s immigration laws, but he also lied in an attempt to illegally  purchase a gun and then brutally assaulted law enforcement. These are the dangerous situations our officers are facing every day in the field,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Thursday.
“Thanks to rhetoric by sanctuary politicians and encouragement of illegal aliens to evade arrest, our officers are facing a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats against them. Secretary Noem has been clear: anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she continued.
The indictment comes as ICE continues enforcement operations throughout the United States, as Congress will attempt negotiations on enforcement tactics following recent tensions in Minnesota between federal officers and anti-ICE protesters.
DHS funding is set to run out on Feb. 13, as Democrats have released a long list of demands fundamentally changing the way immigration enforcement is currently conducted. However, much of the key funding for ICE’s goals was provided through the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year.
The government dealt with a brief shutdown that ended Tuesday, as the House had to go back and pass amended appropriations bills after the White House and Senate Democrats agreed to split DHS funding from the rest of the federal government’s funding.
The push for the funding split came after the Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis, which resulted in numerous other changes made in how the Trump administration approached the end of Operation Metro Surge in the region, leading to the arrests of thousands of people in the country illegally. White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Wednesday that 700 agents are headed out as part of a “drawdown” effort.

Kristi Noem

Illegal Alien Indicted In Major ICE Assault Case Released Into Country Under Biden Admin

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Pennsylvania

Tom Homan

Tennessee&#8217;s Republican congressman John Rose was originally a “no” vote on a move to get the spending package up for a final vote before going to the president to end the government shutdown. In the room with leadership, he switched his vote to “yes.”
It wasn&#8217;t due to a change in heart on the spending proposal, according to Republican congressman with knowledge of the conversation. Rose, according to the Republican colleague, planned to vote &#8220;no&#8221; in protest of positive comments that Trump made about his gubernatorial primary opponent, Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn.
The congressman, who provided details of the situation on background, said Rose &#8220;was just mad because the president had not endorsed him.”
The congressman said that Rose was able to leverage his stance into a meeting with Republican leadership, which CNN also confirmed with Rose directly. Rose said the meeting centered on his frustrations that the SAVE Act not be tacked onto the package, but also said that the gubernatorial race was discussed.
“John is engaged in a tight race for the governorship of Tennessee,&#8221; House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
&#8220;He’s thoughtful about that and he wants a fair fight there and so that&#8217;s what we discussed, but no promises,” Johnson continued when reporters asked about Rose’s flip on Tuesday, according to a CNN clip.
&#8220;You can imagine what that means,” Rose told <a href="https://x.com/elliskkim/status/2018773546835546410?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> in response to Johnson’s “fair fight” comments.
A White House official confirmed to The Daily Wire on background that the president and Rose “did not speak” on Tuesday.
The president has yet to make an official endorsement in the race, but the recent positive comments about Blackburn fueled endorsement speculation, including in the <a href="https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/2026/01/29/trump-praises-blackburn-for-governor-raising-speculation-of-endorsement/88398974007/?gnt-cfr=1&amp;gca-cat=p&amp;gca-uir=true&amp;gca-epti=z11xx65p118950c118950v11xx65d--39--b--39--&amp;gca-ft=203&amp;gca-ds=sophi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Knoxville News Sentinel</a>.
“Marsha Blackburn is an incredible person. Unfortunately, she is running for governor. She is running for governor of Tennessee,” the president said at the Trump Accounts summit last week.
“I’d love her not to, I begged her, I said Marsha, &#8216;Don&#8217;t, we don&#8217;t want to lose you in the Senate,’ but I have to say, they&#8217;re lucky. They&#8217;re lucky to get you. Because you&#8217;re a talent and a great person, and you&#8217;ve been with me all the way, and I appreciate it, and you&#8217;re a very special person. Marsha, stand up, please,” he continued.
The Republican congressman said Rose “took that as an endorsement.”
The procedural vote ended up squeaking by with just 217 votes, as Republicans hold a narrow 218 majority. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted against the rule, along with all Democrats. The actual spending package vote passed with 217, but with bipartisan support and opposition. Rose voted to reopen the government.
The Daily Wire reached out to Rose’s office and his campaign for comment.
A January poll of 559 Republican primary voters shows Blackburn leading Rose with 56% compared with his 9%, according to The Beacon Center of Tennessee. The Cook Political Report ranked the general election race as “Solid Republican.”
Rose was part of the group of GOP lawmakers that wanted the act included in the spending package as a way to get it up for a Senate vote. The legislation, which would require nationwide documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, has already passed the House but has yet to be voted on in the Senate.
On X, Rose wrote that Senate Majority Leader John Thune “is already backtracking on what he reportedly told some House Republicans: that if we reopened the government, he’d keep his word and bring the SAVE Act to the floor.”
“House Republicans MUST hold the line and refuse to fold on something as fundamental as election integrity. The SAVE Act belongs on must-pass legislation,” he added.
The House voted to end the shutdown on Tuesday afternoon, as Congress gears up for a battle over Department of Homeland Security funding, which was only approved through Feb. 13.

TrumpJohn Rose Split (getty)

Tennessee Republican Threw Wrench Into Shutdown Vote Because He Was ‘Mad’ At Trump, Congressman Says

Congress

john rose

Marsha Blackburn

Mike Johnson

Tennessee

Negotiations on potential restrictions for federal immigration enforcement are already off to a rocky start in Congress, as they face a Feb. 13 deadline or a lapse in funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
On Wednesday night, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) released their list of ten requests: “targeted enforcement,&#8221; ending of masking for officers, more public identification of authorities, “body cameras for accountability,” use of force restrictions, and greater “state and local coordination and oversight” are among the asks. Much of the funding for the administration&#8217;s goals on immigration was already approved in the &#8220;One Big Beautiful Bill Act&#8221; last year, but Democrats are hoping to use the recent tensions as leverage to shift policy – as DHS also holds other key agencies that are not immigration-related, including FEMA and TSA.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), who’s considered a key negotiator in the Senate, slammed some of the suggestions as outlandish.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
NEWS — Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries release 10 policy demands in ICE funding fight, in letter to GOP leaders: <a href="https://t.co/M3cInciKYT">pic.twitter.com/M3cInciKYT</a>
— Stephen Neukam (@stephen_neukam) <a href="https://twitter.com/stephen_neukam/status/2019236836636500411?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2026</a></blockquote>
“Democrats’ newest proposal is a ridiculous Christmas list of demands for the press. This is NOT negotiating in good faith, and it’s NOT what the American people want,” Britt posted to X on Wednesday.
“They continue to play politics to their radical base at the expense of the safety of Americans,” she added. “DHS, FEMA, Secret Service, and the Coast Guard run out of money in 9 days. Democrats don’t seem to care one bit.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also brushed off the demands made by Democratic leadership.
“It’s totally unrealistic, their demand list went from 3 items to 10 items,” Thune told <a href="https://x.com/BillMelugin_/status/2019431486307406008?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>. “It just shows you they’re not serious. There’s a bunch of stuff in there that’s a non-starter, and they know it. Maybe they had to put it in there to satisfy MoveOn or some of their left-wing special interest groups.”
The original requests included a move away from administrative warrants to judicial warrants for arrests, no more roving patrols, an end to masking for officers, and more rules as it pertains to how force is used. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-democrats-could-cripple-ice-without-defunding-dhs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported that a change in the type of warrants used could make some immigration arrests exceedingly difficult.
The government dealt with a brief shutdown that ended Tuesday, as the House had to go back and pass amended appropriations bills after the White House and Senate Democrats agreed to split DHS funding from the rest of the federal government’s funding.
The push for the funding split came after the Alex Pretti shooting in Minneapolis, which resulted in numerous other changes made in how the Trump administration approached the end of Operation Metro Surge in the region, leading to the arrests of thousands of people in the country illegally. White House Border Czar Tom Homan announced on Wednesday that 700 agents are headed out as part of a “drawdown” effort.
“We currently have an unprecedented number of counties communicating with us now and allowing ICE to take custody of illegal aliens before they hit the streets, unprecedented cooperation. And I’ll say it again, this is efficient, it requires only one or two officers to assume custody of a criminal alien target rather than eight or ten officers going into the community and arresting that public safety threat,” Homan said, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homan-strikes-deal-in-minnesota-yanks-hundreds-of-immigration-officers?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Homan+Strikes+Deal+In+Minnesota%2C+Yanks+Hundreds+Of+Immigration+Officers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
“More officers taking custody of criminal aliens directly from the jails means less officers on the street doing criminal operations. This is smart law enforcement, not less law enforcement. This is safer for the community, safer for the officers, and safer for the alien,” he said.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-mass-deportation-campaign-could-use-softer-touch-after-minneapolis-shootings?author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Says+Mass+Deportation+Campaign+Could+Use+%E2%80%98Softer+Touch%E2%80%99+After+Minneapolis+Shootings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">President Donald Trump</a> told NBC News on Wednesday night that he “learned that maybe we can use a little bit of a softer touch” after the sky-high tensions in Minneapolis amid anti-ICE protests.
“But you still have to be tough. These are criminals. We’re dealing with really hard criminals,” he added.

U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL)

Homeland Security Negotiations Off To Rocky Start In Congress: ‘Ridiculous Christmas List’

Department of Homeland Security

Politics

U.S. Senate

The Department of Homeland Security says The New York Times denied a request to buy a full-page ad highlighting notable ICE arrests in Minnesota — and that no specific reason for the rejection was provided.
The ad would have included 30 mugshots of individuals arrested in Operation Metro Surge, specifically those with additional criminal convictions ranging from domestic violence to rape and homicide.
“These are some of the 10,000 criminals ICE law enforcement has risked their lives to arrest in Minnesota,” the proposed advertisement stated in all capital letters.
“Sanctuary cities like Minneapolis protect criminals instead of handing them over,” it continued, with a tagline that read, “ICE saves innocent lives.”
The Daily Wire reviewed January 26 emails between Homeland Security and a media placement service the department works with regarding the ad buy request, in which the agency wrote that the NYT said that they were &#8220;not able to accept the ad in its current form.” When the agency requested a letter on official letterhead explaining the reason the ad was not acceptable, that request was also denied and the agency was instead informed that feedback was usually provided through email.
The Times noted that it gets a high number of ads submitted daily, and each usually takes the paper &#8220;one or two business days to fully review.&#8221; As of this publication, Homeland Security has yet to receive a justification for the rejection. The Daily Wire also reached out to the New York Times for comment.
In recent weeks, Operation Metro Surge sent resources and personnel into the Minneapolis area, resulting in thousands of arrests, as anti-ICE protests have ratcheted up in the region. ICE operations have been underway nationwide throughout the country since President Donald Trump took office last January.
&#8220;The media&#8217;s blackout is undeniable: they refuse to report on the vital work ICE is doing to remove dangerous public safety threats—murderers, rapists, gang members, and child predators—from Minneapolis streets and communities nationwide,&#8221; Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire.
&#8220;The New York Times won&#8217;t even run a straightforward ad showing the violent criminals that our brave law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to deport. The New York Times deliberate suppression of public safety information should outrage every American,&#8221; McLaughlin added. &#8220;When the press shields heinous offenders while ignoring or downplaying the officers protecting us, it betrays the public trust and endangers lives.&#8221;
The protests, which surged after the shootings of Alex Pretti, have Democrats calling for major reforms to be made to ICE and Border Patrol. The Daily Wire reported that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and numerous other Democrats want the Trump administration to switch from administrative to judicial warrants, which could seriously limit the number of arrests that ICE is able to make.
The New York Times has made headlines in the past over full-page ads it has chosen to run, including one from an 80-year-old man writing a letter titled &#8220;A PLEA FOR DONALD TRUMP TO RESIGN,&#8221; according to the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/politics/grant-grissom-ad-new-york-times-trump-20250304.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Philadelphia Inquirer</a>.
Last June, Walmart heiress Christy Walton asked Americans to &#8220;mobilize&#8221; in the &#8220;No Kings&#8221; protests against Trump, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/walmart-christy-walton-ad-no-kings-nyt-trump/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CBS News</a> reported. That same month, The Onion took out an ad slamming Congress and the Trump administration, saying &#8220;Congress, Now More Than Ever The Nation Needs Your Cowardice.”
In 2007, MoveOn.org ran an ad during the Bush administration with &#8220;General Petraeus or General Betray Us?&#8221; as a criticism of the Iraq War.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Holds News Conference

New York Times Rejects Full Page Ad Buy From Trump Admin Highlighting ICE Arrests

homeland security

Media

Minneapolis

Minnesota

New York Times

The Supreme Court decided not to take up a challenge to California’s plan to draw five Democrat-favored seats for its congressional maps this November, and until 2030, when new census data is released.
The gerrymandering effort was done as a political counter to Texas adding five Republican-favored seats to its congressional maps, which the Supreme Court also said could move forward.
“Donald Trump said he was ‘entitled’ to five more Congressional seats in Texas. He started this redistricting war. He lost, and he’ll lose again in November,” Gov. Gavin Newsom, who led the charge on the Prop. 50 ballot measure to redraw the maps, said in an X post on Wednesday. California voters passed Prop. 50 in November with over 64% support, as Democrats touted it as &#8220;a direct response to a Republican power grab orchestrated by President Trump and state leaders in Texas,&#8221; according to the California Democratic Party <a href="https://cadem.org/yes-on-proposition-50-faq/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>.
Mid-decade redistricting has now taken place in red and blue states throughout the country, but legal battles in states like Virginia are still taking place in a last-ditch effort to get more partisan maps.
The midterm elections are in November, and Republicans currently hold only a one-seat majority in the chamber, leaving Democrats hopeful that they would be able to flip it in order to counter President Donald Trump in the second half of his term.
The emergency request to the court was filed on Jan. 20, according to Dhillon Law Group attorney Mark Meuser at the time. The Golden State’s legal challenge had the backing of the California Republican Party.
“This filing asks the Court to temporarily block California from using the Proposition 50 map in the 2026 elections while the case is on appeal. If the Court grants relief, California would instead use the prior Citizens Redistricting Commission map for the 2026 Elections,” Meuser posted to X.
In both the Texas and California cases, legal opponents cited racial concerns.
“This violates the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under the law, and the right under the 15th Amendment to not have one’s vote abridged on account of race,” Dhillon Law Group partner Mike Columbo said at a press conference when the California lawsuit was announced back in November, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-gop-sues-over-democrat-drawn-congressional-map-designed-to-increase-power-of-hispanics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported. “When drawing the Proposition 50 map, the chief consultant who drew the map has stated that the first thing that he did was to increase the power of Latino voters.”
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court is expected to rule on Louisiana v. Callais this year, which could upend parts of the Voting Rights Act and potentially give Republicans more leverage to redraw seats in their favor, including in the southern United States.

Day Three Of World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026

California Dems Plow Ahead With Redistricting Push After SCOTUS Declines Case

California Redistricting Push Moves Forward After Supreme Court Declines To Take Up Case

gerrymandering

Redistricting

President Donald Trump signed bills to reopen the federal government on Tuesday evening, after a partial shutdown that started over the weekend, in an Oval Office ceremony surrounded by GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
The House voted by a narrow bipartisan margin to fund the government following its closure on Friday. The Senate previously approved the five funding bills that will last until September, as well as a continuing resolution that will fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through Feb. 13.
“This bill is a great victory for the American people. Instead of a bloated and wasteful omnibus monstrosity full of special interest handouts, we’ve succeeded in passing a fiscally responsible package that actually cuts wasteful federal spending, while supporting critical programs for the safety, security, and prosperity of the American people,” Trump said.
Many Democrats called for DHS funding to be split from the other appropriations bills to prevent a prolonged shutdown, as they want restrictions on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies following the shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Even after the White House reached an agreement with Senate Democrats, there were still hiccups in the House to get the spending package through, including some GOP lawmakers who wanted the SAVE Act — a bill to require documentary proof of citizenship in order to register to vote — thrown into the package.
The SAVE Act legislation has already passed the House, but it has yet to be voted on in the Senate. On Monday, Trump posted to Truth Social that “there can be NO CHANGES at this time” to the bill, as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also said that the SAVE Act would be a dealbreaker if it were placed into the spending package.
As for the negotiations on immigration enforcement, a lively debate is expected to unfold in Congress as Democrats want to see reforms, like the end of masking for immigration officers and changing the types of warrants used, but the proposals could face an uphill battle with the Republican trifecta. Much of the Trump administration&#8217;s immigration agenda, including hiring more ICE agents, was already signed into law by the president in July as part of the &#8220;One Big Beautiful Bill Act.&#8221;
&#8220;Democrats want commonsense reform for ICE: End the roving patrols and racial profiling. Take accountability and abide by the same rules as local police. Masks need to come off, body cameras need to stay on—no secret police in the United States of America,&#8221; Schumer posted to X on Tuesday.
The government was only funded for a short period of time following the 43-day-long shutdown last year over Affordable Care Act subsidies, which meant that Congress would have to go back to the drawing board in January anyway. The federal government&#8217;s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

Donald Trump

Government Shutdown Ends As Trump Declares ‘Great Victory’ With Spending Package

Government Shutdown

Trump Administration

The House voted to end the government shutdown on Tuesday in a 217 to 214 bipartisan vote, and the appropriations bills will head to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.
The spending package returned to the House after the White House and Senate Democrats agreed to split Department of Homeland Security funding from the rest of the broader legislation. Lawmakers instead opted for a continuing resolution to fund DHS while immigration enforcement policies remain under debate. The CR for DHS is set to expire on Feb. 13, while the other bills would fund the federal government through September.
The House had already passed the spending bills, but they were punted back to the chamber after pressure from Senate Democrats for the DHS split following the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis last month.
Some Republican lawmakers wanted the SAVE Act, a bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote, inserted into the package to send it back to the Senate.
The proposal has already passed the House, but it has not progressed in the Senate, with GOP House lawmakers calling on Senate Rules Committee Chair Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to get the process started.
However, Trump said Monday that there should be no changes to the spending package the Senate approved on Friday.
“I am working hard with Speaker Johnson to get the current funding deal, which passed in the Senate last week, through the House and to my desk, where I will sign it into Law, IMMEDIATELY!” Trump posted to Truth Social at the time.
“There can be NO CHANGES at this time. We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless, and destructive Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly — One that will not benefit Republicans or Democrats. I hope everyone will vote, YES!” He continued.
As for the DHS debate, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) expects tension in Washington.
“Next week and the week after will be intense. The two sides are pretty far apart,” Johnson (R-LA) told Punchbowl News on Tuesday.
Democrats have a long list of demands that they want for ICE and CBP to limit their current immigration enforcement tactics, including the end of masking for agents.
“No more anonymous agents. No more secret operatives,” Schumer said last week.
“These are common-sense reforms – ones that Americans know and expect from law enforcement,” he added.

President Trump Presents The Mexican Border Defense Medal At The White House

Government Shutdown To End As House Sends Spending Package To Trump

Chuck Schumer

The House of Representatives is currently debating the government spending package that could end the partial government shutdown if approved.
President Donald Trump is expected to sign five appropriations bills along with a continuing resolution to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the next 10 days, as lawmakers negotiate potential restrictions on federal immigration enforcement.
Before the House Rules Committee meeting on Monday to advance the package in the chamber, Trump said on X that he did not want any changes to the Senate package. That package was approved on Friday as part of a deal between the White House and Senate Democrats.
The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis escalated tensions surrounding immigration operations by the Trump administration. Democrats threatened a shutdown if DHS funding was not split from the rest of the spending package in the Senate, even though the House had already approved it before the shooting death on a bipartisan basis.
However, because the House was out of session, most government operations closed starting on Saturday. A handful of Republicans wanted the SAVE Act, a House-approved bill requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote, tacked onto the package to force a Senate vote.
Claims circulated that Senate leaders had agreed to bring the SAVE Act to a floor vote by scrapping the filibuster in order to win over House GOP holdouts and end the shutdown. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) quickly poured cold water on those reports.
“We’ve got some members, as you know, who expressed an interest in that, so we&#8217;re going to have a conversation about it, but there weren’t any commitments made,” Thune said Tuesday, according to <a href="https://x.com/AlexMillerFox1/status/2018707272860336324?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
The dispute ruffled feathers during a procedural vote, including from Rep. John Rose (R-TN), who accused the Senate leader of “already backtracking on what he reportedly told some House Republicans: that if we reopened the government, he’d keep his word and bring the SAVE Act to the floor.”
“House Republicans MUST hold the line and refuse to fold on something as fundamental as election integrity. The SAVE Act belongs on must-pass legislation,” Rose, who’s running for governor of Tennessee, continued.
The procedural vote narrowly passed 217-215 along party lines, with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) voting against the legislation and Rose eventually changing his “no” vote to &#8220;yes.&#8221;
Funding DHS through September is shaping up to be a bruising fight, as Republicans demand tougher action against sanctuary cities while Democrats seek serious restrictions on ICE and CBP.
“Next week and the week after will be intense. The two sides are pretty far apart,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told <a href="https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/2018686738298794143?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Punchbowl News</a> on Tuesday.
“If we&#8217;re going to be discussing all this and ICE operations, and part of that equation is how sanctuary cities have not been participating. In fact, they&#8217;ve been thwarting the efforts of ICE, and I think that has to be part of the discussion,” he further told the outlet.

Speaker Johnson Talks To Reporters Following GOP Conference Meeting

House Takes Major Step Toward Ending Government Shutdown

President Donald Trump says he wants to move forward with the federal government spending package without any changes, as the government has remained shut down since last weekend.
Some Republicans, like Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), have advocated for including the SAVE Act in the package, which would require documentary proof of citizenship in order to become a registered voter — though Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said such a move would be a dealbreaker if appropriations bills returned to the chamber with it included.
“There can be NO CHANGES at this time,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, saying that he wants the bill to be signed into law right away, and that he’s “working hard with Speaker Mike Johnson.”
“We will work together in good faith to address the issues that have been raised, but we cannot have another long, pointless and destructive Shutdown that will hurt our Country so badly — One that will not benefit Republicans or Democrats. I hope everyone will vote, YES!” he added.
Last week, the White House brokered a deal with Schumer to pass the funding bills and secure Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding through a short-term continuing resolution — even as Democrats want to see more regulations on federal immigration enforcement. Changes being demanded by the Democrats range from a switch from administrative to judicial warrants for immigration arrests to the end of masking for immigration authorities, despite doxxing concerns having been raised amid a surge in assaults against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The House Rules Committee is currently meeting to go through the procedural process to get the funding bills up to the House floor on Tuesday.
Johnson told a scrum of reporters on Monday afternoon that “we’re gonna get this job done, get the government reopened.”
Although Johnson has a one-seat Republican majority, the spending bills prior to the DHS deal were already approved by the House last month before they headed to the Senate.
For the current version of the spending bills, Appropriations Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) indicated during the rules committee hearing that she is going to back the spending package, saying, “It gives us time, and it gives us leverage to secure the protections we need for our communities,” according to the Washington Examiner.
Schumer lambasted the SAVE Act as a relic of the Jim Crow era, despite similar policies already being in place in multiple states. “The SAVE Act is nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0. It would disenfranchise millions of Americans,” he posted to X. &#8220;Every single Senate Democrat will vote against any bill that contains it. Speaker Johnson should tell SAVE Act Republicans to stand down or else this shutdown will be on them.&#8221;

Trump Seeks Quick End To Shutdown: ‘NO CHANGES’

WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said the partial government shutdown would continue if a major voter registration bill known as the “SAVE Act” is included in government spending legislation. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is leading an effort to have the measure added to the package.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would require states to obtain documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and identity to register to vote, a requirement already in place in a small number of states.
&#8220;I have said it before and I&#8217;ll say it again, the SAVE Act would impose Jim Crow-type laws to the entire country and is dead on arrival in the Senate,&#8221; Schumer said in a statement on Monday. &#8220;It is a poison pill that will kill any legislation that it is attached to. If House Republicans add the SAVE Act to the bipartisan appropriations package it will lead to another prolonged Trump government shutdown.”
&#8220;Let&#8217;s be clear, the SAVE Act is not about securing our elections,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It is about suppressing voters. The SAVE Act seeks to disenfranchise millions of American citizens, seize control of our elections, and fan the flames of election skepticism and denialism,” adding that it is “reminiscent of Jim Crow era laws and would expand them to the whole of America.”
“Republicans want to restore Jim Crow and apply it from one end of this country to the other. It will not happen. Democrats will go all out to defeat the SAVE Act and defend free and fair elections.”
Luna responded to the reports of Schumer’s opposition by posting on X that “the SAVE Act is dead on arrival unless Thune removes the filibuster or Democrats break from Schumer to save their own billions of dollars in projects.”
The Senate sent five spending bills and a short-term Department of Homeland Security continuing resolution to the House under a deal between the White House and Schumer to split DHS funding from the other appropriations measures, allowing immigration negotiations to continue without a prolonged government shutdown.
The House had already passed six appropriations bills prior to the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, a leftist protester who was killed by federal immigration agents last month. If the House makes further changes to the spending package, it will have to return to the Senate. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he wants to see the shutdown end by Tuesday.
“Our intention is by Tuesday, all agencies of the federal government, except for that one, and then we’ll have two weeks of good faith negotiations, to figure it out,” Johnson told the NBC News program. “Republicans are going do the responsible thing and fund the government.”
The House Rules Committee is expected to meet at 4 p.m. to begin the procedural steps needed to bring the funding bills to the floor.

Schumer Warns Shutdown Will Continue If Major Proposal Is Added To Funding Package

Anna Paulina Luna

Elections

Voter ID

WASHINGTON—The partial government shutdown is in full swing after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House agreed to pass five funding bills separate from contentious Department of Homeland Security funding.
The majority of the federal government <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senate-reaches-funding-deal-with-shutdown-still-set-to-begin-at-midnight?author=Cameron+Arcand&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Senate+Reaches+Funding+Deal%2C+With+Shutdown+Still+Set+To+Begin+At+Midnight">shut down</a> at midnight on February 1, after the Senate voted to carve Homeland Security funding out of its spending bill, which has yet to pass the House of Representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson said on “Meet the Press” Sunday that he’s confident the shutdown will be brief, and he’s hoping to see it end by Tuesday.
“Our intention is by Tuesday, all agencies of the federal government, except for that one, and then we’ll have two weeks of good faith negotiations, to figure it out,” Johnson said. &#8220;Republicans are going do the responsible thing and fund the government.&#8221;
But it is unclear how many House Democrats will back the spending package, given that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) was not part of the deal between the White House and Schumer, saying in a statement on Friday that the caucus “will evaluate the spending legislation passed by the Senate on its merits and then decide how to proceed legislatively.”
The House Rules Committee is set to meet Monday afternoon in hopes to move the package forward. The new deal swaps DHS funding for a continuing resolution that covers money for the agency through Feb. 13, whereas the other bills covered funds through the end of the fiscal year in September.
Homeland Security funding became a flashpoint for Democrats after the killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis. Democrats are calling for sweeping changes to the Trump administration&#8217;s immigration policies, with some going so far as to call for the total defunding of Homeland Security.
Their defunding efforts may be fruitless, as the immigration agencies were largely funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Still, Democrats seem hopeful that they can leverage the entire department’s funding, which includes the budgets of FEMA and TSA, to push for reform. Schumer and other Democrats are asking for sweeping changes to ICE and Border Patrol, including the ending of masking for agents and the use of judicial warrants as opposed to administrative ones, which could make some arrests much more difficult, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-democrats-could-cripple-ice-without-defunding-dhs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
“There is currently not a structure in the federal government to add millions of judicial immigration warrants,&#8221; a federal official told The Daily Wire. &#8220;This effort is being pushed to roadblock the deportation agenda of the president.&#8221;
Prior to Pretti&#8217;s death, the House had approved all of the government spending bills and sent them to the Senate. There are 12 appropriations bills in total, six of which President Donald Trump has already signed.

Partial Government Shutdown Fully Underway As Congress Takes Up Spending Bills

Senate

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Cameron Arcand