DHS Is Shut Down And Trump World Is Losing It

Democrats finally used leverage and ICE accountability is suddenly “too extreme”

The Department of Homeland Security is shut down. Not metaphorically. Not like “oh there’s gridlock in Washington.” Actually shut down because Democrats refused to fund it unless ICE agrees to follow the Constitution.

And watching Trump world panic about it has been something else.

Here’s what happened. There was a massive government funding bill moving through Congress. Democrats said they would fund the rest of the government, but they would not fund DHS unless there were changes to how ICE operates. Basic changes. Show identification. Wear body cameras. Take off the masks. Stop racial profiling. Get judicial warrants before entering private property.

That’s it. That’s the list.

And somehow that was too extreme.

Think about how insane that is. “Stop racial profiling” is being treated like some radical left demand instead of the bare minimum in a constitutional republic. “Get a warrant before entering private property” is apparently controversial now.

The backdrop to all of this matters. In Minneapolis alone, ICE reportedly violated 96 court orders in a single month. In that same period, two U.S. citizens were killed. A five year old was detained. Families were pulled out of cars on their way to work. Seatbelts cut off. Lives wrecked. Not hardened criminals. Not cartel bosses. Regular people.

In Chicago, ICE agents shot a woman five times. Initially, DHS said she rammed an agent’s vehicle and they feared for their lives. Then the body camera footage came out. The footage showed the opposite. She was trying to get away. They chased her. They shot her. She survived, barely.

What happened to the agents? Administrative leave.

That’s the part that should make your blood boil. Administrative leave. If you or I fire a gun at someone unlawfully, we are arrested. We are charged. We are prosecuted. When federal agents do it and the facts contradict their sworn statements, they get an internal review.

And Tom Homan goes on national television and says racial profiling “is just not occurring.”

We literally have footage of ICE agents walking up to a young woman and immediately asking, “Where are you from? What country were you born in?” No crime alleged. No warrant. No probable cause explained. Just vibes. Just appearance.

And he calls that reasonable suspicion.

This is why the shutdown matters. For the first time, Democrats actually used leverage. They didn’t just send a strongly worded letter. They didn’t hold a press conference and move on. They said no funding unless you agree to basic guardrails.

But I’ll be honest. Even these demands feel too small.

Body cameras are good. Identification is good. Getting warrants is obviously good. But none of that solves the core problem, which is that there are no real consequences when constitutional rights are violated.

Judges scold agencies. Agencies shrug. Court orders get ignored. Reuters documented thousands of rulings over the past year where ICE actions were found improper. And what happens? Nothing. Maybe a headline. Maybe a lecture.

Power does not respond to lectures.

If a government actor recklessly, knowingly, or purposefully violates someone’s constitutional rights, that should be a crime. Not an HR issue. Not an internal memo. A crime.

Unlawful detention. Warrantless entry. Ignoring a court order. Falsifying a legal process. If you do that as a federal officer, there should be severe criminal penalties. Automatic independent review. Not the DOJ investigating itself after inspectors general have already been fired and watchdogs replaced.

Right now the message to agents is clear. The worst that happens is administrative leave and maybe a temporary suspension. There is no deterrent. And without deterrence, this expands.

That’s what we’re watching.

Homan insists everything is being handled internally. The FBI is “looking into it.” But the same executive branch that gutted oversight is now promising to police itself. That is not a serious accountability structure.

The administration is scrambling because for once they’re not dictating terms. DHS is shut down. Democrats have leverage. And instead of debating “open borders” talking points, we’re debating whether federal agents should have to identify themselves and follow court orders.

That’s not radical at all, it’s the baseline.

The real question now is whether Democrats push this all the way or cave for optics. Because if this ends with a few cosmetic reforms and no structural accountability, nothing changes.

Administrative leave will continue to be the consequence for violating American rights.

And that is not a functioning system.

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