WASHINGTON, January 26, 2026: Seven House Democrats crossed party lines on Thursday to pass legislation adding additional funding for Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations. Democrats have been intensifying opposition to ICE operations after recent high profile immigration operations resulting in children being detained and the two deaths of American citizens with the most recent one on Saturday.
Tensions in Minnesota have been rising since ICE operations began in Minneapolis earlier this month. On Saturday, after the latest shooting, thousands of protestors took to the street while Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz urged citizens to remain peaceful, telling them that he has been in contact with the White House asking that ICE be removed from the state. Waltz activated the Minnesota National Guard on Saturday as protestors continued to protest the shooting death of Alex Pretti by ICE agents.
The Guard will help secure the federal building where ICE keeps a detention center. At a news conference, Waltz said that he understands “the anger” that Minnesotans are feeling from the federal immigration operations in the city. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Saturday that Pretti impeded ICE from their duties.
Against rising demonstrations against federal immigration operations across the nation, on Thursday, seven Democrats voted with their Republican colleagues on a spending bill with billions of spending money for ICE operations. The seven Democrats were Reps. Jared Golden of Maine, Laura Gillan and Tommy Suozzi of New York, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington, Don Davis of North Carolina, and two Texas: Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez.
Henry Cuellar Crosses Party Lines Second Time After Brother Indicted
Facing federal bribery charges in November, Henry Cuellar (D-TX) voted along with five Democrats to end the longest federal shutdown in the country’s history. Democrats Golden, Glusenkamp-Perez and Suozzi also voted last year to end the shutdown.
Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Rios Cuellar, were indicted on April 30, 2024, on federal charges of accepting almost $600,000 in bribes from two foreign companies.
Last month, the Trump administration pardoned Cuellar and his wife on the federal bribery charges ending their criminal prosecution.
Earlier this month, Trump endorsed Cuellar’s opponent in his reelection campaign “slamming Cuellar for what he called ‘disloyalty’ over his decision to seek re-election as a Democrat,” after Trump pardoned him.
Cuellar Brother Indicted
According to a press release from the United States Attorney’s Office, Martin Cuellar, the sheriff of Web County and brother to Henry Cuellar appeared before a federal judge on charges of misusing sheriff’s department funds to run a for-profit company last week.
The press release states that the federal indictment accuses Martin Cuellar and his assistant, Alejandro Gutierrez of misusing taxpayer funds between 2020 and 2022 to run a COVID-19 pandemic disinfecting business.
The indictment unsealed on November 25, 2025, alleges that Henry Cuellar and two other defendants opened Disinfect Pro Master in April 2020 and contracted their services to local businesses using sheriff’s department staff and resources to deliver the services. One of the contracts, according to the indictment, was a $500,000 contract to clean schools in the United Independent School District using sheriff’s staff and resources “for more than two years.”
Martin Cuellar and Gutierrez face up to ten years in prison if convicted. Ricardo Rodriguez, the third defendant, has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 16.
The attorney for Martin Cuellar, Eric Reed, told the Texas Tribune that “he hoped politics did not influence” the criminal case, referring to Trump’s criticism of Henry Cuellar’s decision to run as a Democrat after Trump pardoned him last year.
Jury selection in the Martin Cuellar case is scheduled for March 3.
Another Federal Shutdown?
Although the House voted for the ICE funding, another federal shutdown may happen if the Democrats are successful in stopping ICE funding. The deadline for the funding bill is Friday.
If Senate Democrats succeed in modifying the funding bill, the House would have to take it up again before it heads to the White House.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on Saturday that the Democrats would block the funding for ICE after the death of Pretti in Minneapolis.
The funding package includes federal funding for several federal programs including education, state and transportation. Part of the package includes $10 billion for ICE.
Senate Republicans need 60 votes to adopt the funding bill as it currently stands, but they only control 53 of the votes. Seven Democrats would have to cross party lines to pass the Senate measure. Republicans can choose to separate the funding for ICE and another $64.4 billion for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), if necessary to avert the shutdown.
Several Republicans have started to question ICE tactics and the response to the investigation of Pretti’s shooting. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is demanding “a thorough and impartial investigation,” into Pretti’s death. Another Republican, Bill Cassidy (R-LA), has also called for a “full joint federal and state investigation,” into the shooting. James Comer (R-KY-1), Chair of the House Oversight Committee, said that the Trump administration should remove ICE from Minneapolis because “the mayor and governor” are putting “our ICE officials in harm’s way,” referring to Minnesota officials not cooperating with federal agents.
In addition to some Republicans questioning ICE immigration operations after the recent deaths of American citizens, Independent Angus King (I-ME), who helped to end the last federal shutdown told Fox News that he “can’t vote for a bill that includes ICE funding under the circumstances,” referring to the two recent deaths.
Another federal shutdown could start as soon as Friday evening if the Senate isn’t able to pass the funding bill by Friday.
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