Democrats Threaten Federal Shutdown Over ICE Raids, Minnesota Shooting
The Hill reported that Democratic lawmakers in both houses of Congress are vowing to oppose funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless the legislation includes tougher rules governing the conduct of ICE officers. The deadline for the next shutdown is Jan. 30.
Democrats in both chambers are escalating their push to overhaul U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the fatal shooting of an unarmed woman by an ICE officer in Minneapolis. They鈥檙e doing so by vowing to oppose legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unless it includes tougher rules governing the conduct of ICE officers. (Lillis, 1/16)
More on the immigration crisis 鈥
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a subpoena to Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare for employee I-9 forms, the health system confirmed to Becker鈥檚. The subpoena, issued Jan. 8, authorizes federal officials to inspect I-9 forms, which are documents used to verify employees鈥 identities and work eligibility. The forms contain sensitive personal information, including names, birth dates, addresses, Social Security numbers and copies of identification such as passports or driver鈥檚 licenses. (Condon, 1/15)
The recertification push by the USDA was in response to allegations of widespread fraud within the program, though the federal agency hasn鈥檛 provided any evidence to support the accusation. Immigration advocates also worried about the data collection that could be used to target immigrants for deportation. (Yang, 1/15)
A mother shoved to the ground in front of her children in the hallways of a immigration courthouse in New York. A young woman pulled from her car and handcuffed on a busy street in Key Largo, Florida. A child care worker dragged out of her workplace in Chicago, in front of parents and children. A pregnant woman yanked by one arm through the snowy streets of Minneapolis. (Norwood, 1/15)
When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the Jan. 3 death of detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos at a Texas detention camp, the agency said 鈥渟taff observed him in distress,鈥 and it gave no cause of death. An employee of El Paso County鈥檚 Office of the Medical Examiner told Lunas Campos鈥檚 daughter this week that, subject to results of a toxicology report, the office is likely to classify the death as a homicide, according to a recording of the conversation. (MacMillan, 1/15)
Also 鈥
The Trump administration is directing employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate foreign scientists who collaborate with the agency on research papers for evidence of 鈥渟ubversive or criminal activity.鈥 The new directive, part of a broader effort to increase scrutiny of research done with foreign partners, asks workers in the agency鈥檚 research arm to use Google to check the backgrounds of all foreign nationals collaborating with its scientists. (Song and Lerner, 1/16)