Nia-Malika Henderson, Columnist

Democrats Are Turning the Tables on Immigration

February 11, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC

Nia-Malika Henderson is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. A former senior political reporter for CNN and the Washington Post, she has covered politics and campaigns for almost two decades.

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Barring some miraculous intervention, the Department of Homeland Security will likely hit a funding lapse late Friday.

The impasse is all about Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is a part of DHS. On Tuesday, the public got a glimpse of the yawning chasm between Republicans and Democrats as members of Congress questioned department officials overseeing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. Over an almost four-hour hearing, there was little consensus, with both sides seemingly ready for the uncertainty and political gamesmanship that every government shutdown entails.