DHS Shutdown Underscores Democrats' Immigration Quagmire

Ken Buck
Tue, 24 Feb 2026 16:42:43 -0800
Opinion

Democrats are back to their usual antics. Late last week, lawmakers on the left threw the federal government into yet another partial shutdown — the third in the past six months — after they walked away from negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

This cycle of political chicken, in which Democrats have shown they have no reservations about driving off the cliff, would be comical if it weren't so dangerous.

Federal shutdowns have become the left's new bargaining chip. Rather than debating policy through the appropriate channels, Democrats threaten to close the government every time they don't get their way. They are acting like the playground bully who steals the ball and stops the game because it's not going their way. Except here, their actions have real consequences.
Updated: Wed Feb 25, 2026

Democrats are back to their usual antics. Late last week, lawmakers on the left threw the federal government into yet another partial shutdown — the third in the past six months — after they walked away from negotiations to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

This cycle of political chicken, in which Democrats have shown they have no reservations about driving off the cliff, would be comical if it weren't so dangerous.

Federal shutdowns have become the left's new bargaining chip. Rather than debating policy through the appropriate channels, Democrats threaten to close the government every time they don't get their way. They are acting like the playground bully who steals the ball and stops the game because it's not going their way. Except here, their actions have real consequences.

The latest closure comes after Republicans rightly rejected Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' 10-point ultimatum to effectively stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The entire debacle perfectly embodies Democrats' contorted agenda. They want to hang a welcome sign on our borders and offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants, with utter disregard for the massive costs amnesty imposes on our economy and hardworking taxpayers. And, since they didn't get their way, they are happy to shut down the agency in charge — in effect, securing a backdoor workaround to maintain their open-border policies, at least temporarily.

Never mind that their position directly contradicts what Americans want. A recent survey found that nearly three-quarters of voters believe that criminal illegal immigrants should be deported, and more than two-thirds want state and local officials to cooperate with federal authorities to get the job done.

The brave men and women who enforce our immigration laws put their lives on the line to keep our communities safe. But rather than stand with them, Democrats have shown they are more interested in stoking fears and inciting violence.

When they can't change the laws, Democrats simply attack the law enforcers. And it's not without consequence.

The left's reckless rhetoric — comparing ICE to the Gestapo, calling law enforcement agents "criminals," and insisting endlessly that this administration is an "authoritarian regime," to mention only the tip of the vitriolic iceberg — has emboldened violent attacks against those serving our country in uniform.

It turns out, words matter. And the left's hate speech — to borrow one of their buzzwords — has and continues to divide our country, often with tragic results.

How quickly, too, Democrats have abandoned their own principles. Only a decade ago, the Obama administration oversaw the largest deportation program in history, removing nearly 3 million illegal immigrants — one of the administration's few laudable achievements.

"Our immigration system is broken — and everybody knows it. ... Today, we have more agents and technology deployed to secure our southern border than at any time in history." That wasn't President Donald Trump; it was former President Barack Obama. At least he understood, just as Trump does, that our country cannot support a vibrant economy when our borders are being flooded by illegal immigrants.

Trump promised to secure our borders, and his administration is working hard to deliver on that commitment — and it's having a resounding impact.

Home prices have fallen in metro areas with the largest illegal populations. Wages are rising, especially in blue-collar industries. Murder and violent crime rates are down significantly, with some of the steepest declines occurring in places historically considered sanctuary cities.

Democrats simply do not have an answer. Illegal immigration helps entrench their radical agenda, but it is under attack from an administration that puts everyday citizens — not the liberal elite — first. Trump's decisive action has reduced the left to name-calling, which doesn't produce solutions, only more division.

No doubt, progressives in Congress will try to spin this latest government closure as some noble cause to protect "innocent Americans" from being "snatched" off the street. It is not. It's another Hail Mary attempt to prop up the left's failing, if not nonexistent, immigration policies.

Sadly, this continual game of political brinksmanship appears to be the new norm — at least until Democrats come up with a real policy portfolio that meets Americans at their points of need, which doesn't seem to be on the horizon.