WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – The infamous raids against migrants, two US citizens shot dead, the big protest on the streets: Apparently driven by massive pressure, US President Donald Trump is currently changing his aggressive deportation policy in the north of the USA. On top of that, the 79-year-old now has to accept another defeat: Since Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for the raids, has been lacking follow-up funding. Because of a blockade by the Democrats. It’s a notable break in Trump’s second term.
Trump cornered
The Democrats, who have appeared pale since the election defeat of their candidate Kamala Harris in November 2024 and had to get their act together, have driven Trump’s Republican Party into a corner. They blocked new budget funding for the Department of Homeland Security in Parliament. They denounce the actions of federal officials in raids against migrants and call for stricter rules for such operations.
Masked people drag people on the street into cars. The Democrats are calling for body cameras for officers. And the masks should be banned. The migration agency ICE, which reports to the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for the raids.
Deportation operations are nothing new in themselves, but the brutal scenes that have been shared on social media emerged during Trump’s time in office. The president defends his deportation policy by saying that many migrants are in the USA illegally. He talks about criminals who want to be caught. The promise of secure borders and a tough crackdown had won the Republican many supporters in the election campaign. But now there is a downside to this tactic.
Shutdown is not comparable to previous ones
How long there will be a funding gap at the Department of Homeland Security is unclear. It is impossible to predict when Republicans and Democrats will become closer. This time, the shutdown – i.e. the standstill of government business – is limited to parts of the ministry. It therefore only affects a small proportion of the entire US budget. With the exception of the Department of Homeland Security budget, Congress has already passed the budget.
This makes the current case very different from the two previous shutdowns in Trump’s second term in office, which paralyzed government business in many more ministries and agencies. In November 2025, for example, the longest shutdown in US history was ended after 43 days. At that time there were massive flight cancellations and millions of Americans did not receive food aid in time to go shopping. That is not the case now.
Above all, political symbolism
This time, political symbolism is at the forefront of the budget blockade. According to media reports, the financing of operations by ICE officers is likely to continue for the time being because the authority has already been provided with additional funds.
The ministry also includes the disaster management agency Fema, the coast guard and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which carries out checks at airports. How big the impact will be there will depend on the length of the financing gap.
Trump’s attempt at de-escalation in Minneapolis
Against the background of the impending blockade in Congress, one could observe how the Trump administration rowed back in relation to the US city of Minneapolis. In January, federal officers shot and killed US citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti on the street. That caused an outcry. Thousands of people protested in freezing temperatures in the city in the northern US state of Minnesota. This spilled over into other cities.
Trump relented. First, the controversial high-ranking border patrol commander Greg Bovino was withdrawn from Minnesota. Then body cameras were announced for officers there. Just shortly before the last opportunity to reach an agreement in Parliament on the budget for the Department of Homeland Security under Minister Kristi Noem, it was announced that the raids in Democratically governed Minnesota were to be stopped. Obviously too late./rin/DP/e.g