US Department of Homeland Security shuts down amid budget deadlock in Congress

WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security officially shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after Congress failed to pass a funding bill, following the expiration of a temporary spending measure.

Lawmakers reached a deadlock after Democrats demanded several provisions to limit government immigration activities in exchange for their support. These demands included a "mask off, body camera on" policy for federal agents, new use-of-force standards, and a requirement for court-ordered warrants before entering private homes.

Approximately 92% of DHS employees are considered essential and will continue to work without pay. The funding lapse affects agencies including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Coast Guard, though law enforcement and maritime protection operations will persist.

Air traffic control operations remain unaffected. Additionally, immigration enforcement by ICE and CBP will continue without disruption, as these agencies are funded through a major piece of legislation passed last year.

Officials warned that travelers may face longer security lines at airports if the shutdown remains in effect.

The partial closure of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) exposes a stark paradox at the heart of contemporary U.S. politics. While the immediate catalyst for the shutdown is a bitter impasse over immigration policy, the irony is that the Trump administration’s most contentious enforcement operations remain entirely insulated from the fiscal fallout.

Because agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) secured multi-year funding through the "Good One Big Bill" of 2025, they now operate independently of the annual appropriations process. This legislative shielding transforms the current shutdown into a piece of political theater rather than a substantive check on executive power. The real burden of this brinkmanship falls not on the enforcement apparatus, but on hundreds of thousands of federal employees—including TSA officers and Coast Guard personnel—who are now classified as essential and forced to work without pay.

Congressional Democrats are attempting to use the budget deadline as leverage to advance police accountability reforms following recent high-profile incidents of violence. However, the current funding structure has effectively defanged this strategy. The standoff serves as a high-stakes case study in hyper-polarization and the erosion of legislative oversight. Should the deadlock persist, the consequences will be felt by the traveling public and in delayed disaster response efforts, while the machinery of immigration enforcement continues to hum along, largely unimpeded by the lack of a formal budget.

The Vietnamese-American community will likely feel the impact of this shutdown firsthand. For those planning trips back home to visit family in Vietnam, expect significantly longer wait times at airport security checkpoints as TSA officers are forced to work without pay. Beyond travel, the shutdown could also disrupt immigration services managed by USCIS. This means potential delays for Vietnamese families currently navigating the system for visa petitions, green card renewals, or citizenship applications.