Congress Ends DHS Shutdown Without Immigration Enforcement Funding or Reforms

Congress has passed a spending bill ending the 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), but the measure excludes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

The shutdown began in February after Democrats refused to fully fund the department following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by immigration officers in Minnesota. Democrats demanded reforms, including mandates for immigration officers to wear body cameras and obtain judicial warrants before entering private property.

To prevent a complete shutdown, the Trump administration continued funding immigration enforcement using other federal funds. As those resources dwindled, the Senate passed a bipartisan funding bill in March that excluded immigration enforcement entirely. The measure stalled in the House due to opposition from conservatives who insisted on including immigration enforcement funding in any DHS appropriations bill.

However, House approval came after Senate Republicans initiated a reconciliation process, enabling passage of a DHS funding bill with a simple majority. The 76-day shutdown is now the longest in DHS history, though the department has existed for decades without fulfilling many of its original promises.

Section 702 Surveillance Extension Approved

In a separate action, Congress approved a 45-day extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a warrantless surveillance program set to expire on Thursday. The temporary measure buys lawmakers additional time to negotiate a longer-term reauthorization.

Republican leaders and the White House have pushed for a "clean" three-year reauthorization of Section 702, which permits intelligence agencies to monitor communications of foreigners outside the U.S. without a warrant. Critics argue the law circumvents Fourth Amendment protections by allowing surveillance of Americans communicating with targeted foreigners.

A bipartisan coalition of privacy advocates in Congress has advocated for adding warrant requirements to the law. The 45-day extension provides until June for lawmakers to finalize a permanent solution.

California Lifts Ban on Autonomous Heavy Trucks

The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) announced this week that it is lifting its blanket ban on autonomous heavy trucks. The new regulations permit autonomous vehicle companies to deploy driverless trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds on state roads for commercial use, subject to strict testing requirements.

To qualify, manufacturers must complete 1 million miles of test driving, with the first 500,000 miles driven with a human safety driver and the remaining 500,000 miles operated autonomously. Not all test miles must be completed in California. The new rules also empower law enforcement to issue citations to autonomous vehicle companies when their vehicles commit moving violations.