Republicans Press for DHS Funding Amid Iran Conflict
In light of the Trump Administration’s attack on Iran, Republicans have pressed for Democrats to relent on demands for DHS funding. They argue that with the role of the DHS in counterterrorism and domestic security, its funding is incredibly vital.
Democrats have not been swayed by this argument. Alternatively, some Democrats have raised splitting the bill, such that DHS programs unrelated to immigration enforcement (the Coast Guard, TSA, Secret Service, cybersecurity, etc.) may receive funding until Sept 30, while the discussion over ICE remains in dispute. Yet, Republicans oppose splitting the bill. Further, we see that during the current lapse of funding, programs like TSA and the Coast Guard are being cut back, while immigration enforcement remains as is. The current funding bill has potential to be passed in the House, but is likely to be stopped in the Senate.
Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said that “[Republicans] went to war with Iran (which nobody in America was asking for) so they could conjure an excuse to allow ICE to keep murdering Americans and teargassing schools here at home with impunity (which nobody in America was asking for).”
There are 25% fewer immigration judges in 2026 than in 2024, even after accounting for new hires. More than 100 judges were dismissed by the Trump Administration, and many others resigned amid concerns over shifting immigration policies. At the same time, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has lost over 400 legal assistants, attorney advisers, and administrative specialists.
Current and former judges have raised concerns about the resulting culture shift within immigration courts. Those who remain describe growing pressure to align with the administration’s enforcement priorities, regardless of how they may have evaluated cases in the past. Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security recruitment ads have featured slogans such as, “Deliver justice to criminal illegal aliens. Become a deportation judge. Save your country”—language that seems to suggest that courts are presuming the outcome of cases before the full hearing.
ICE and the Texas DPS Concealed a Fatal ICE Shooting
Just this Feb 18, ICE disclosed involvement in the death of Ruben Ray Martinez, a 23-year-old American citizen with no criminal record. DHS agents were helping control traffic around a car accident on March 15, 2025, when they shot and killed Martinez. The details of the event, as recorded in the ICE documents, are said to differ from what the family was initially informed at the time of Mr. Martinez’s death. While the documents describe Martinez accelerating into agents, a witness disputes that he was turning the car around. The event is currently being investigated by the Texas Rangers, but little information has been disclosed.
Since the Trump Administration, three U.S. citizens have been fatally shot by DHS agents. Some have pointed out the similarities between Martinez’s situation and Renée Good’s.
Alysa Liu, born in California to a Chinese parent, is the 2026 Winter Olympic champion in figure skating. Yet beyond the celebration of her victory, comparisons have resurfaced between Liu and fellow athlete Eileen Gu—also U.S.-born to a Chinese parent—who chose to represent China in international competition.
Their differing national affiliations have sparked debate. Some conservative American commentators have labeled Gu a traitor, while certain Chinese social media users have criticized Liu as the descendant of anti-China figures. The contrasting receptions highlight deeper nationalist tensions between the United States and China. America is increasingly in a time that demands immigrants to prove their allegiance to solely America, while China insists that ethnicity demands loyalty. The criticisms both athletes receive seem to be policing what it means to be American and to be Chinese
