Sen Adam Schiff vows to block ICE and CBP funding amid looming government shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Adam Schiff said on Sunday, January 25, that he would not support any additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security following the second fatal shooting of a US citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis in less than a month.

Speaking on NBC News’ 'Meet the Press', Schiff sharply rejected claims by the Trump administration that state and local officials were to blame for the violence, accusing federal officials of flooding American cities with poorly trained agents and then deflecting responsibility when deadly encounters occurred.

“I’m not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime given how these agencies are operating,” Schiff said. “Democrats are not going to fund that.”

Adam Schiff rejects blame on state and local officials

Schiff’s remarks came after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche argued earlier in the program that federal agents had been acting “humanely” and suggested that a lack of cooperation from state and local governments had contributed to recent confrontations.

Schiff pushed back forcefully, saying that it was up to states and cities to decide how to prioritize law enforcement- not the federal government.

“If a state or local government decides to focus on violent criminals, the federal government does not get to coerce them into becoming an arm of federal immigration enforcement,” Schiff said. “That is flat wrong.”

He accused federal officials of pursuing sweeping ICE operations in urban areas rather than targeting violent offenders, contradicting President Trump’s own stated priorities.

Schiff also criticized Blanche’s defense of federal agents involved in the Minneapolis shootings, particularly his inability to say whether Alex Pretti ever brandished a weapon.

Schiff said that the administration’s refusal to address that question spoke volumes.

“If there were evidence that he drew or threatened with the weapon, you know they would have said so,” Schiff said.

He accused the administration of trying to discredit eyewitness video and public outrage, comparing the messaging to telling Americans to ignore what they can plainly see.

“They would have you disbelieve anything you see,” Schiff said. “That’s unacceptable.”

Adam Schiff calls for an independent probe

While Schiff said investigations into both Minneapolis killings were necessary, he questioned whether DHS could credibly lead them after senior officials labeled the victims "domestic t********s” before investigations were complete.

“No one can have confidence in an investigation run by people who have already reached their conclusion,” he said, arguing that local law enforcement and independent authorities needed to be involved to ensure credibility.

DHS funding standoff looms

Asked whether he would vote against DHS funding even if it risked another government shutdown, Schiff said that Republicans would bear responsibility if they chose to tie immigration enforcement funding to broader government operations.

“They are in the majority,” Schiff said. “They will make that decision if they want to shut down the government so they can perpetuate this violence.”

He added that any lawmaker who voted to expand funding for ICE and Border Patrol under current conditions would share responsibility for future deaths. “I’m not going to be a part of it,” he said.

Schiff also argued that DHS had already received massive funding with little oversight, predicting corruption when congressional scrutiny eventually resumed.

“They’ve thrown so much money at these agencies, they don’t even know what to do with it,” he said. “You’re going to find enormous waste, fraud, and abuse.”

Until oversight was restored, Schiff said Democrats would rely on litigation to challenge what he described as systemic abuses by federal agencies.

When asked whether he would pursue impeachment if Democrats regained the House, Schiff said that he would focus on the most effective tools available at the time to halt what he called widespread corruption within the administration.

“There is going to be an accounting in one form or another,” Schiff said. “The worst corruption is the kind that results in death in our streets.”