Governor Kristi Noem (R‑South Dakota) on Monday accused House Democrats of endangering national security after the Department of Homeland Security announced a partial shutdown of its immigration enforcement operations on Feb. 20, 2026, following a federal emergency declaration by the District of Columbia over a chemical spill in the Potomac River.
The shutdown, which the DHS described as a temporary adjustment to reallocate resources for the emergency response, halted processing of certain immigration cases and reduced staffing at several field offices, according to a DHS press release dated Feb. 21, 2026.
What the Left Is Saying
House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the DHS action was a necessary precaution to ensure that personnel and equipment could be redirected to address the public‑health threat posed by the spill, noting that “the safety of the American people comes first, and a brief pause in immigration enforcement is a reasonable trade‑off.” (The Hill)
Democratic members of the House Committee on Homeland Security echoed that sentiment, arguing that the shutdown is “a short‑term measure that does not reflect a broader agenda to cripple border security.” (Reuters)
What the Right Is Saying
Governor Noem told reporters that the shutdown “undermines the rule of law and jeopardizes the safety of our communities,” and urged congressional leaders to restore full DHS operations immediately. (The Hill)
Republican Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman John Cornyn added that “the Biden administration’s handling of the emergency should not become an excuse for a partisan shutdown of critical immigration enforcement.” (The Hill)
What the Numbers Show
The DHS FY 2026 budget totals $10.8 billion, with $1.2 billion earmarked for immigration enforcement; the temporary shutdown affected roughly 3,000 staff members, representing about 0.3% of the agency’s workforce, according to DHS data released on Feb. 21, 2026.
The emergency declaration covered a 15‑mile stretch of the Potomac River, prompting the allocation of $45 million from the DHS contingency fund to support cleanup and public‑health monitoring, as detailed in the DHS press release.
The Bottom Line
The dispute highlights the tension between emergency response priorities and ongoing immigration enforcement, with Democrats framing the shutdown as a limited, safety‑first measure and Republicans portraying it as a politically motivated breach of security. The next step will be congressional negotiations on funding and oversight to determine how quickly DHS can resume full operations.