Democrats push DHS funding vote without ICE and Border Patrol

House Democrats moved Wednesday to force a vote on a plan to fund most of the Department of Homeland Security — excluding border patrol and immigration enforcement — escalating their standoff with Republicans during the shutdown.

The effort, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and top appropriator Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), uses a discharge petition to bypass GOP leadership and bring the proposal directly to the House floor. Democrats are trying to force a vote on a spending bill that would fund DHS agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, FEMA, the Coast Guard, and federal cybersecurity operations, but withhold funding from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.