This week, the Senate took the first step toward a reconciliation bill to fund immigration agencies under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) despite opposition from Democrats. Senate Republicans passed a budget resolution for immigration enforcement that would give an additional $70 billion to ICE and Border Patrol for three more years. Reconciliation is a special process that allows lawmakers to change tax and spending policy with a simple majority (50+1 votes) in the Senate rather than the traditional 60 votes needed to defeat a filibuster. Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune’s agreement seems to be to fund DHS (minus ICE and Border Patrol) through the regular appropriations process, then use reconciliation to increase funding for immigration enforcement. Senate Republicans claim they have to do it this way to immediately and fully fund ICE and Border Patrol. But ICE and Border Patrol have already been funded through Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill” with $170 billion. That's more money than the United States Marines, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and most militaries around the world. And they still have $150 billion left. They don’t need another penny, especially without serious changes to their operations.  

Despite DHS still being shut down and critical agencies quickly running out of emergency money to pay employees, Speaker Johnson has not prioritized a vote on the funding bill the Senate passed weeks ago now. And negotiations over much-needed reforms to ICE are seemingly nonexistent. I introduced legislation in November that would rein in ICE’s reckless and barbaric actions, and I continue to push for changes because the agency cannot continue to operate in its current form.

My Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act would set a higher standard for DHS use of force, strictly limit harmful equipment like tear gas and flash bangs, require agents to render medical aid, require that uniforms make it clear that these are DHS or ICE agents and not police, set higher training standards for agents, mandate the use of always-on body cameras, and prohibit masks. We must pass this bill as a first step to keep our communities safe while still allowing agents to protect themselves and  target genuine threats to national security.   

While Congressional Republicans put their dangerous immigration enforcement agenda above all else, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is taking longer than usual to process DACA renewal applications. DACA recipients, or Dreamers, must renew their status every two years and pay more than $500 in fees. Delays in the renewal process threaten their employment authorizations and legal immigration status. Dreamers are American in nearly every way. They came to the U.S. as children, some as young as infants and most have never known another country. They go to school, work, pay taxes, serve in our Armed Forces, and contribute to American prosperity. Data consistently shows that Dreamers have lower incarceration rates and are less likely to commit crimes compared to native-born Americans. Unnecessary DACA renewal delays are not only cruel, but also  economically dumb at a time when costs are already high from President Trump’s healthcare crisis, illegal tariffs, widespread funding cuts, and war of choice in Iran. 

As Dreamers experience delays and a lack of clear responses from USCIS, more are asking my office for help. As a result of President Trump’s reckless policies, my office has received a record number of USCIS casework assistance requests. We ask for your patience as my staff works to respond to constituents and address concerns as quickly as possible. 

My San Diego office CAN request a status update from USCIS and bring attention to pending renewals that are outside of processing times. The status update typically consists of where the case currently resides or what stage of the adjudication process it is in. My office CANNOT ask for a status update while the case is still within processing times, ask USCIS to expedite a renewal no matter the details of a case, ask that a case be adjudicated within a certain time frame, or expedite a work permit while the case is still pending. 

• Another podcast! I joined the New Democrat Coalition’s “Fly-In” and talked about permitting reform, voting rights, Iran, and tested my knowledge of  Beyonce songs.  

• A longer read but this article breaks down some interesting research on how Democrats can utilize both populism and abundance to deliver for Americans.