Play hardball on ICE

Democrats have limited leverage — but limited does not mean none.

Across the country and especially in Minneapolis, everyday people armed with nothing more than whistles and phone cameras are banding together to fight back against ICE as it invades their communities, abuses their neighbors with impunity, and shoots and kills an innocent woman.

As Democrats in Congress witness this daily show of courage from ordinary Americans steeled only by their own resolve, they should be asking themselves how they can use their own power as lawmakers to stop this rampant abuse of power.

It’s true that as the party out of power, Democrats have limited leverage — but limited does not mean none.

Ultimately, the best way to stop what we are seeing is to win back power, fire the fascists, and reform ICE root and branch. Yet right now, Democrats can use what leverage they do possess to demand reforms that will stop some of the worst ICE abuses and save innocent lives.

As Congress considers new appropriations bills ahead of the existing ones expiring on January 30, Democrats should demand major reforms as a condition of their votes. Last week, we laid out a comprehensive reform plan for ICE. Now, to wage a winning fight, Democrats should pick a few clear demands and drive them hard. These could include:

• Require clearly-identifying uniforms with no masks and no hiding of an officer’s identity;

• Refocus ICE enforcement on criminals — not on grandmothers, construction workers, nurses, and other innocent members of our communities;

• Redeploy Border Patrol agents out of places like schools, child care centers, and doctor’s offices and to their real job of keeping our border secure;

• Enforce strict compliance with use-of-force policies and harsh penalties for violators;

• Stop officers from wrongly entering people’s homes without a warrant; and,

• End the detention of innocent American citizens.

These reforms get to the heart of ICE’s worst abuses and have broad public support. Given that the Department of Homeland Security (which includes ICE) sits on a massive slush fund from Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Democrats cannot be accused of defunding ICE even as they use their leverage to push for reforms.

This is a fight Democrats can win. There are parallels to the successful health care fight that Democrats waged in the fall. As with that fight, the key will be for Democrats to get specific with their demands, stay unified, and drive the message every day.

The fight will come to a head in the Senate, where Republicans need at least eight Democrats to vote with them to advance the bill. This is a perfect opportunity for Senate Democrats to use the filibuster as it was intended, and wage an extended talking filibuster to draw the public’s attention to ICE’s horrific abuses and to Democrats’ demands for accountability.

Back in April, Senator Cory Booker held the Senate floor for more than 25 hours, drawing a flood of media attention to his message. If Democrats band together, they can hold the Senate floor for weeks, and draw even more attention to their demands for reform.

I’m thinking a lot about Harry Reid right now because of a new biography released yesterday. People often tell me some version of, “I wish he were still around.” When they say this, they are not thinking of his far left positions, since he was generally quite moderate. They are instead remembering that he knew how to fight and win.

There is a difference between playing hardball and taking the most extreme and maximalist position on policy. Reid knew the way to wage an aggressive assault on GOP positions was not to take the farthest-left policy or slogan — but to pick a smart position that could unify all Democrats and fight like hell on it. He played hardball and won. We can too.

That is what Democrats did on health care subsidies in last year’s shutdown fight. That’s what they can, and should, do once again.

---

Searchlight is growing! We’re hiring a Press Secretary and a Policy Analyst to join our team. We seek creative thinkers who are ready and eager to build the home of the next realignment. Learn more and apply on our website.