House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and an ICE agent, right. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images; David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)
"I'm surprised that they didn't just say the quiet part out loud, that they want to abolish [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] altogether, which is what some of the members are actually saying," Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "So I think those demands are ridiculous."
He and other conservatives have also said they do not believe Democrats are negotiating for a legitimate compromise — a lack of trust that puts any potential deal on shaky ground with only nine days until a possible DHS shutdown.
"We had four years of anything but good faith, and they really put our country into a really bad situation," Pfluger said.
DEMS' DHS SHUTDOWN THREAT WOULD HIT FEMA, TSA WHILE IMMIGRATION FUNDING REMAINS INTACT
Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., a member of the House Appropriations Committee, said he had similar concerns about trust when engaging with Democrats on the topic.
And Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., said, "I think it's kind of hard to negotiate with legislative terrorists."
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., rolled out a list of four key asks for the White House during a press conference on Wednesday — a ban on ICE agents wearing masks, mandatory body cameras for federal officers, requiring judicial warrants for arrests, and a ban on deporting and detaining U.S. citizens.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a press conference following the passage of government funding bills, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 30, 2026. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Downing noted, however, that Democrats did not always agree with each other, either. Jeffries notably voted against the bipartisan compromise that Schumer struck with President Donald Trump last week to reopen the federal government after the left rejected the initial deal.
"It sounds like they're not always speaking amongst themselves, so I don't even know how to categorize good faith, because it seems like they don't have good faith amongst the two chambers there," Downing said.
Democrats, meanwhile, have accused Trump of empowering ICE to abuse the law in Minneapolis, where federal agents' killing of two U.S. citizens during demonstrations against Trump's immigration crackdown has led to sky-high tensions.
Since the press conference, they've also released a list of six additional demands before they agree to a full DHS funding deal.
"Federal immigration agents cannot continue to cause chaos in our cities while using taxpayer money that should be used to make life more affordable for working families. The American people rightfully expect their elected representatives to take action to rein in ICE and ensure no more lives are lost," Jeffries and Schumer wrote in a letter accompanying those demands.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-gop-rips-insane-democrat-demand-unmask-ice-agents-dhs-shutdown-looms