Sen. Adam Schiff said he would oppose further funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol following the fatal shooting of a man in Minneapolis by border patrol agents, raising the prospect of a partial government shutdown if Congress cannot reach agreement on Department of Homeland Security funding.
Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Schiff said state and local governments have the authority to set their own law enforcement priorities and should not be compelled to participate in federal immigration operations.
“If they made the decision we will prioritize going after violent criminals, it is not up to the federal government to say no, you won’t,” Schiff said.
Schiff criticized federal officials who have defended the actions of the agents involved in the shooting and said investigations should not be handled solely by the Department of Homeland Security. “No one can have confidence that DHS will do that properly when the head of that agency has called these victims domestic terrorists without knowing anything,” he said.
He said local officials and law enforcement should be involved in the investigations and called for an objective review of the incidents.
Later in the interview, Schiff said he would vote against DHS funding that includes money for ICE and the Border Patrol, even if that results in a partial government shutdown.
Schiff: I'm not giving ICE or border patrol another dime… Anyone who votes to give them more money to do this will share in the responsibility and see more Americans die in our cities as a result. pic.twitter.com/MTVyQi07Lb
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 25, 2026
“Well, I’m not giving ICE or Border Patrol another dime given how this agency, these agencies are operating,” Schiff said. “Democrats are not going to fund that.”
He said Republicans would be responsible for a shutdown if they tie broader government funding to immigration enforcement agencies. “The government will shut down if Republicans insist that that be joined with other government funding,” Schiff said.
Schiff said lawmakers who support additional funding for those agencies would bear responsibility for further violence. “Anyone who votes to give them more money to do this will share in the responsibility and see more American cities, more Americans die in our cities as a result,” he said.
