Today marks the 24th day of Democrats’ shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Throughout, Democrats have played a dangerous game, hamstringing the agency responsible for protecting our borders, airports, coastlines, and communities at a time of heightened threats from the Iranian regime. For the sake of our nation and the American people, Democrats must reverse course and work with Republicans to ensure that DHS is fully funded, staffed, and operational.

Democrats claim that they want “very reasonable” restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as a condition for reopening DHS. But there is nothing reasonable about exposing law enforcement and their families to doxxing through mask bans, prohibiting roving patrols that keep our neighborhoods safe, and turning schools, courthouses, and hospitals into safe havens for criminal illegal aliens. 

While Democrats make the shutdown about ICE, border enforcement currently remains funded thanks to Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts, or One Big Beautiful Bill, which President Trump signed into law on Independence Day. The landmark law provided $170 billion to complete the border wall, hire more agents, expand detention facilities, and strengthen border security. Instead, Democrats’ shutdown has blocked funding for other vital agencies under DHS, including the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Transportation Security Administration, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and Secret Service.

It would be irresponsible to block funding for these programs at any time. But Democrats’ ploy is especially reckless as our nation faces elevated threats from Iran, the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, amid Operation Epic Fury.

The same day the operation started, an immigrant from Senegal opened fire on a bar in Austin, Texas, killing three and injuring more than a dozen. During the attack, the suspect wore an undershirt displaying the Iranian flag, and the FBI is investigating the shooting as a potential act of terrorism. In January, DHS deported three former members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization that serves as the Islamic Republic’s paramilitary force. Late last month, a federal trial started against a Pakistani national allegedly recruited by the IRGC to kill a U.S. politician ahead of the 2024 election, with President Trump as a potential target.

Joe Biden allowed at least 18,000 known or suspected terrorists to enter our country during his administration. That number could be even higher considering nearly two million “gotaways” crossed the border undetected under Biden. As National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent testified before Congress in December, these individuals represent “the top terrorist threat that we face right now.”

Since Inauguration Day, DHS has worked overtime to track down these individuals. Due to Democrats’ partial shutdown, the Homeland Security Investigations unit at DHS is currently operating at limited capacity, hindering its ability to identify threats.

The safety of the Americans should not be used as a political bargaining chip. At a time when our national security is at risk, Democrats are more concerned with defending illegal aliens than protecting U.S. citizens at home and abroad. The Democrats have picked the wrong fight on this issue, and they need to join Republicans in funding DHS as soon as possible. If they don’t, the consequences could be deadly. It’s time they put the American people first.