REPORT: Government shutdown over DHS backfires on Democrats’ ICE oversight push

February 18, 2026

From Fox News: The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) internal watchdog has been forced to pause a significant chunk of its oversight of immigration enforcement as Democrats continue to withhold support for funding the Cabinet-level agency.

A spokesperson for the DHS office of the inspector general (OIG) told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that most of its audits and inspections have had to be paused during the partial government shutdown, including many dealing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Democrats have called for stricter oversight of ICE since President Donald Trump surged federal law enforcement agents to blue cities across the country in a bid to crack down on illegal immigration.

But at least seven of the internal DHS probes into ICE conduct have been suspended after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan deal to fund the department, plunging it into a shutdown.

“Most of OIG’s audits, inspections, and similar reviews… are paused during the lapse in appropriations. A small number of OIG audits related to disaster relief continue because they are supported by an extant appropriation,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson confirmed that probes that have been paused during the shutdown include determining “whether ICE investigates allegations of use of excessive force and holds personnel accountable” and conducting “unannounced inspections to assess compliance with ICE detention standards and ensure safe, secure, and humane conditions of confinement.”

Also halted due to the Democrat-led shutdown is an investigation into whether Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents are conducting domestic U.S. operations in accordance with DHS policies and federal law.