Democrats say they are not to blame for the pain Americans increasingly feel from DHS shutdown

Congressional Democrats’ more than 30-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security has created chaos at airports and undermined anti-terrorism efforts, but they say it isn’t their fault and they are willing to keep the shutdown going indefinitely.

Democratic lawmakers are pointing the finger at Republicans for the partial DHS shutdown. The shutdown began Feb. 14, when Democrats blocked DHS funding, demanding restrictions on federal immigration agents that would effectively end President Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

Democrats still vow to block funding for DHS until the administration agrees to changes at U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement. The campaign to rein in ICE follows the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens who were protesting federal immigration enforcement officers in Minneapolis.

“I checked, it was Republicans that control every branch of government in Washington, D.C.,” said Rep. Jason Crow, Colorado Democrat. “I am not going to bargain with the lives of Americans when you have an agency that’s murdering Americans in the street running around with masks and unmarked vehicles, snatching people off the streets and putting them in prisons without hearings and without court review.”

He added, “Why would we ever negotiate with that? That has to end, and then we have to move forward.”

Meanwhile, DHS’ Transportation Security Administration workers started missing paychecks and some are not showing up, causing long lines at airport security screening and frustrating travelers.

Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said his experience with TSA at the airports was smooth.

“I went through TSA three times yesterday, and there was no line. I thanked the TSA workers for their service. It’s incredibly sad that the president doesn’t want to pay TSA workers, Coast Guard and FEMA,” he said.

He said Democrats offered to separately fund different agencies within DHS while withholding funding from federal immigration enforcement.

“They can bring that bill up, and we would, we would pass it,” Mr. Aguilar said.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Louisiana Republican, said Democrats are not capable of governing and just want to cause “chaos in America.”

“Obviously, it starts with those workers who aren’t getting paid who have to show up. And we see it at the airport, the TSA agents. Over 100,000 employees of the Department of Homeland Security are working without pay because Democrats don’t care about people,” he said.

The partial shutdown of DHS also coincides with an uptick in the threat of terrorism amid the Iran war.

“Enough is enough. Put the political games aside and fund our homeland security,” Rep. Lisa MCain said at a House GOP press conference. “Last week, just outside my district, an antisemitic driver with an explosive-filled vehicle plowed into Temple Israel Synagogue. … Hours earlier, an ISIS supporter opened fire at Old Dominion University, and days before that, a man wearing a sweatshirt saying ’property of Allah’ killed two people and wounded 14. This is not a game. End the shutdown.”

House Democrats have introduced a discharge petition to try to force a vote on funding DHS, but not ICE or Customs and Border Protection. The petition needs Republican signatures to succeed, which is unlikely.

The Democrats want to only fund TSA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the Coast Guard and the Secret Service through September.

Mr. Scalise called it a “defund the police discharge.”

“People are missing flights. People are going without pay while working. Hundreds of them have quit. TSA workers have just said, ’I can’t do this anymore. I’ve got a family to feed,’” he said.

The White House offered several concessions, including expanding the use of body-worn cameras for DHS agents and retaining the footage to allow for additional congressional oversight.

Senate Democrats said that was not enough. They want federal immigration agents to obtain judicial warrants for deportation arrests and for agents not to wear masks.

The White House would not bow to those demands.

The White House also agreed to limit immigration enforcement at certain sensitive locations. This includes hospitals and schools, but a narrow carveout was created for national security, flight risks and public safety needs.

The administration offered to subject DHS detention facilities to congressional oversight and promised to enforce the use of visible identification for DHS agents.

These offers followed previous moves at DHS, including ousting Kristie Noem as secretary of homeland security and sidelining Gregory Bovino, a senior Border Patrol commander who helmed the immigration enforcement surges in Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis.

Mr. Bovino is now expected to retire at the end of the month.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said lawmakers should vote to immediately open up TSA.

“Right now, Republicans have blocked our efforts to open up TSA and open up FEMA and open up the Coast Guard. We could do it today, if they would be willing to do it,” he said. “They’re holding TSA hostage as they refuse to rein in all those ICE agents.”