Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., told Newsmax on Thursday that Senate Democrats had only begun direct talks with Republicans after 34 days of stalemate over Department of Homeland Security funding, as the two parties remained divided over methods of enforcing immigration law.
On "Rob Schmitt Tonight," the senator framed the dispute as a late-opening negotiation over efforts by Democrats to fund major DHS agencies while excluding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, an approach that has become a flash point in the broader immigration debate.
Asked about House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the push to withhold ICE funding, Marshall said Democrats had waited more than a month to engage directly with Senate Republicans.
"This is day 34," Marshall said. "And today is the first day that these Democratic senators were willing to sit down face-to-face and have a conversation."
His comments came as Democrats pressed their effort to fund major parts of DHS, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, while excluding ICE and CBP.
Marshall said Republicans were not prepared to give ground.
He said the remaining points of dispute had narrowed to two issues: Democrats' demands to identify ICE agents and a fight over what kind of warrants should be required for immigration arrests.
"There's no backing off here. We're going to stick with the Trump policies," Marshall said.
Marshall called demands to "unmask" ICE agents a nonstarter, saying officers and their families could be put at risk if agents are more easily identified.
He also rejected calls for judicial warrants in cases involving deportation enforcement, arguing that by the time ICE agents are arresting someone, that person has "been through this process already, a judicial process."
"We need to stick with that administrative warrant," Marshall said. "So indeed, we can deport the illegal aliens as well."
"But those are the last two issues, I think, outstanding right now," he said.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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