Congressional Hispanic Caucus Unveils 'Non-Negotiable' Conditions for DHS Funding

As senators continue voting on a bill that would fund, among other things, the Department of Homeland Security, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced this week a new set of policies labeled "non-negotiable" conditions that must be met before approving any funding for DHS.

In a statement released Jan. 28, the caucus said its 43 members voted to approve three new rules that, in their view, must be met before advancing funding for the department led by Kristi Noem.

The first rule calls on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection to "suspend immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota, end warrantless stops, indiscriminate arrests, and militarized tactics against civilians nationwide, and allow agencies to continue legitimate statutory enforcement focused on serious public safety threats."

🚨 BREAKING 🚨@HispanicCaucus adopts Non-Negotiable DHS Funding Conditions:⁰1️⃣ Suspend abusive ICE/CBP practices and protect citizens and lawful residents.⁰2️⃣ Redirect $75B from mass detention to humane community safety and affordability.⁰3️⃣ Deliver real accountability:…

— Congressional Hispanic Caucus (@HispanicCaucus) January 28, 2026

The rule also includes immediate protections against the detention or targeting of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, as well as a full independent investigation into recent use-of-force incidents, including the killings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens who were fatally shot in recent weeks in Minneapolis.

In another "non-negotiable" demand, the caucus called for redirecting $75 billion in enforcement funding granted under the "One Big Beautiful Bill" away from mass detention and quota-driven arrests and channel it toward what it described as more humane approaches centered on community safety and affordability concerns.

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As outlined in the statement, those changes include independent investigations into deaths in DHS custody, probes into inhumane detention conditions at immigration facilities, the elimination of arrest quotas and racial profiling, a ban on using children as bait, stronger hiring and training standards, and ensuring enforcement is narrowly focused on genuine public safety threats.

The final policy calls for increased transparency and accountability for immigration officers. The rule urges the advancement of "comprehensive legislation" that would prohibit ICE agents from wearing masks, mandate the use of body cameras, protect sensitive locations, restrict the use of deadly force, enforce humanitarian standards in ICE and CBP custody, ban military-grade equipment, strengthen civil rights and inspector general oversight, protect whistleblowers, and return Border Patrol agents to border duties.

As lawmakers continue working toward a compromise that would allow the bill to pass Congress and prevent another government shutdown across several agencies, the Senate held a vote Jan. 29 to block the legislation from advancing with Democrats keeping a strong stance against the bill.

Eight Republicans joined every Senate Democrat to block the motion, 55-45. As reported by The Hill, Democrats moved to block the funding package over its provisions for DHS, saying they will not support it unless the Trump administration agrees to reforms aimed at reining in ICE's large-scale immigration crackdown and ending violent encounters between federal law enforcement and protesters.

"We are all in agreement on funding for child care, cancer research, air traffic controllers, our troops and more, but we have also been clear that we cannot and will not move the DHS bill without real progress on accountability," Sen. Patty Murray of Washington said on the Senate floor.

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