The Constitution is not a bargaining chip for a budget negotiation The Democrats demanded that Trump's immigration cops follow the law and the Constitution. The Republicans called those demands "nonstarters." Radley Balko Feb 16, 2026 "We need to be clear about something. The Democrats’ demands aren’t “common sense reforms,” as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer described them. All but a few are already the law — and most of the others are either longstanding norms in U.S. policing or the foundational principles of any free society. The “demands” are really just restatements of what most people already expect from law enforcement and democratic government: No secret police. Immigration officers shouldn’t be arresting and incarcerating U.S. citizens. Cops can’t threaten, beat, and arrest people who are for exercising their First Amendment rights. Cops can’t kill people with impunity. This is basic stuff."