WATCH LIVE: The House aims to vote on this year’s final spending bills

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is looking to pass its final batch of spending bills for the year on Thursday, an effort complicated by Democratic lawmakers’ concerns that the measure funding the Department of Homeland Security does not adequately address President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

The House has already approved eight of the 12 annual appropriations bills that fund federal agencies and programs. If the final four bills are approved Thursday, the measure would then move to the Senate, with final approval needed before the Jan. 30 deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown.

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Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives, Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Representative Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, and Representative Pete Aguilar of California, announced in a closed meeting that they would oppose the homeland security bill. Its members are demanding a strong stance in response to the Republican president’s anti-immigration campaign, which has recently centered in the Minneapolis area, where more than 2,000 officers are stationed and where a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot Renee Judd, a mother of three.

“There is very significant concern about ICE getting out of control,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

But Democrats have few good options to express their opposition. Passing a continuing resolution to fund Homeland Security at current levels for the remainder of the budget year would cede spending decisions to Trump, DeLauro said. There is also little appetite for another shutdown, even if it would only affect part of the federal government.

“There is a lot we need to do to rein in DHS, which I will continue to push for,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “But the hard truth is that Democrats must win the political power to enact the kind of accountability we need.”

This year’s Homeland Security bill keeps ICE spending roughly flat from the previous year. It also restricts Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s ability to unilaterally shift funding and allocate federal dollars as she sees fit.

“That’s not all we wanted,” said Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, a member of the Appropriations Committee. “We wanted more oversight. But look, Democrats don’t control the House. We don’t control the Senate or the White House. But we were able to add some oversight to the Homeland program.” He said he intends to vote in favor of the bill.

Democrats are expressing their concerns privately and publicly

But most Democrats who emerged from Wednesday’s closed-door caucus meeting had a different view.

“I never support lawless operations,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio.

“If that’s the status quo, I don’t,” said Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill.

DeLauro, along with Cuellar, made a presentation on the bill to House Democrats during their closed-door meeting. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington, said she told her colleagues why she thought it was a mistake. Others who spoke agreed, she said.

“I think this is a really terrible time, and people understand what’s at stake,” Jayapal said. “We can’t treat this like it’s anything else. Our eyes don’t lie to us.”

She explained that the additional money for body cameras and other changes was not enough. The bill provides $20 million that must be used for ICE officers when conducting enforcement actions.

She said she told her colleagues: “No one should try to sell this as an improvement. It’s not an improvement.”

But some Democrats in key swing districts are likely to see campaign ads targeting them if they vote against the Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The House Republicans’ campaign arm issued press releases on Wednesday targeting about 20 Democrats, saying they “will do anything to appease the ‘Defund ICE’ crowd even if it means risking national security.”

Meanwhile, liberal advocacy groups are also putting pressure on, saying Congress must take clear and immediate action to rein in the department.

“It is clear that the DHS bill that has just been released is missing a lot, and should be vigorously rejected,” said Andrew O’Neill, national advocacy director for the group Indivisible. “Every Democrat should vote against this funding bill, and Democratic leadership in both chambers should actively strike back at their opposition caucus.”

Republicans are confident the bill will pass

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Los Angeles, expressed optimism about the passage of funding bills, including the homeland security measure. He is able to tolerate some defections given the small majority enjoyed by the Republican Party.

“All we do is win,” Johnson said.

The overall funding package before the House on Thursday contains nearly $1.2 trillion in spending. About two-thirds of this amount will go to the Ministry of Defense.

Other departments funded through the package include Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. Most federal spending is unaffected by annual battles in Congress, most notably Social Security and Medicare.