As the Department of Homeland Security remains in a partial shutdown, Democrats have made it clear that they will not vote for additional funding without substantial reforms to ICE and Border Patrol.

A new blog post from Mike Fox, a legal fellow in the Cato Institute’s Project on Criminal Justice, details the need for systemic reform that will hold immigration officers accountable for their actions, writing in part:

“As my Cato colleague Dominik Lett points out, ICE and Border Patrol remain flush with cash thanks to last year’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act.’ This financial cushion protects them from the current standstill, but it should not protect them from scrutiny. Now is the time to demand systemic reform. We must ensure that no government agent is above the law or cloaked in immunity. If Congress continues to fund DHS without addressing the total lack of accountability for federal agents, their concerns amount to nothing more than political theater.”

To speak with Fox further, contact Christopher Tarvardian.