A recent shooting involving Border Patrol agents has intensified fears of another partial government shutdown as Senate Democrats vow to oppose a critical Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The incident, which resulted in the death of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, has raised concerns that the Senate’s impending vote on a $1.2 trillion appropriations package—including Homeland Security funding—will be derailed by Democratic senators refusing to support it unless ICE funding is stripped out.

“ heating up the political firestorm,” said Senator Schumer in a statement. “Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the DHS bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of ICE. I will vote no.”

Independent Senator Angus King, who helped end last year’s 43-day government shutdown, declared: “I can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under these circumstances.” He urged lawmakers to pursue an honest negotiation with guardrails and accountability measures instead of risking another shutdown.

Multiple Democratic senators have joined the opposition. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) stated: “The Trump administration and Kristi Noem are putting undertrained, combative federal agents on the streets with no accountability. They are oppressing Americans and are at odds with local law enforcement.” Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) added that Democrats have bipartisan agreement on 96% of the budget but need to prioritize reforms for the Department of Homeland Security that respect constitutional rights.

Senators Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) have also declared they will vote against the DHS funding bill. A small group led by Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) has been actively urging colleagues to oppose the legislation.

Democrats insist that ICE funding must be tied to reforms—including requiring warrants for arrests and banning agents from wearing masks—to address systemic concerns about federal operations.