Graham vows to force vote on Democrats’ DHS plan as immigration battle escalates

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Lindsey Graham said on Saturday, February 7, that he is prepared to bring Democrats’ proposal to overhaul the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies to the Senate floor, arguing that the measure “deserves a vote” even as he vowed to oppose it.

“While I believe the Democrats’ proposal regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement are fatally flawed and will take us backward on immigration enforcement, I think it deserves a vote in the US Senate. Therefore, if no one else will, I will introduce the Democrat package to ensure it gets a vote on the floor, and I will enthusiastically vote no," Graham wrote on X.

Graham says Senate should take up Protect America Act

Graham also said that the Senate should take up the Protect America Act. “I also believe the Senate should take up @SenEricSchmitt’s Protect America Act to strengthen our immigration laws."

Further, he said, “I look forward to taking these matters up next week. Democrats have been anxious to have their say about immigration enforcement. So am I. Let’s vote,”

Graham also said the Senate should take up Sen Eric Schmitt’s Protect America Act to strengthen immigration laws.

Democrats lay out DHS ‘guardrails’

Graham’s remarks follow a letter sent on Wednesday by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to Republican leaders, outlining proposed reforms at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its component agencies.

In the letter, Democrats called for 10 new “guardrails” on immigration enforcement, citing concerns over recent DHS operations.

The proposals include barring what they described as “indiscriminate arrests,” prohibiting immigration officers from entering private property without a judicial warrant, expanding training requirements, and adopting a standardized use-of-force policy. Under that proposal, officers involved in use-of-force incidents would be removed from the field pending investigation.

Funding clock ticks toward Feb 13

The push for reforms comes amid intense scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement following two fatal shootings in Minnesota last month involving federal agents, which have sparked protests and renewed calls for accountability, including demands that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem resign.

Those incidents, in which a federal immigration officer shot and killed a Minneapolis resident on January 7 and a US citizen ICU nurse on January 24, have heightened political pressure as negotiations over DHS funding stall.

Funding for Dempartment of Homeland Security is set to expire on February 13, after Congress passed a broader spending package this week that included a two-week continuing resolution for the department.

If lawmakers fail to reach an agreement, a lapse in funding would disrupt not only Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, but also agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Despite the looming deadline, senators from both parties have shown little willingness to compromise, leaving negotiations at an impasse.