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The pursuing is the transcript of the interrogation with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York, that aired connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" connected Feb. 15, 2026.
ED O'KEEFE: We crook present to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who joins america this greeting from New York City. Leader Jeffries, convey you for being here.
DEMOCRATIC LEADER HAKEEM JEFFRIES: Good morning. Great to beryllium with you.
ED O'KEEFE: So arsenic this shutdown continues, I privation to punctual our viewers what it is, exactly, legislature Democrats are seeking to reopen the Department of Homeland Security. You privation migration agents to amusement IDs, to deterioration assemblage cameras, instrumentality disconnected their masks, halt radical profiling and question judicial warrants to participate backstage property. Talks betwixt the White House and legislature Democrats are continuing. Are you consenting to compromise, to fto immoderate of these go, to get the authorities reopened?
REP. JEFFRIES: Well, our worth proposition is simple, payer dollars should beryllium utilized to marque beingness much affordable for the American people, not brutalize oregon termination them, arsenic we horrifically saw successful Minneapolis with the acold blooded killings of Rene Nicole Good and Alex Pretti. We know, and the American radical intelligibly know, that ICE is wholly retired of power and they request to beryllium reined in. Because the American radical merit migration enforcement that is fair, that is just, and that is humane. And so, we request melodramatic alteration astatine ICE, including, but not constricted to, the types of things that you laid retired earlier immoderate DHS backing measure moves forward.
ED O'KEEFE: With the objection of immoderate flexibility connected assemblage cameras, due to the fact that they're starting to walk immoderate wealth to get those retired there, immoderate Republicans person rejected this database of argumentation betterment proposals. You guys inactive look miles apart. So when, conceivably, volition we spot this resolved? And again, I inquire you, if- are determination immoderate of these points that you're consenting to fto spell successful bid to get the authorities reopened?
REP. JEFFRIES: Well, we're consenting to person a bully religion speech astir everything, but fundamentally we request alteration that is dramatic, that is bold, that is meaningful and that is transformational. And these are communal consciousness things. For instance, judicial warrants should beryllium required earlier ICE agents tin tempest backstage spot oregon rip mundane Americans retired of their homes. We request to marque definite that determination are existent autarkic investigations, truthful that if authorities and section laws are violated, successful galore cases, violently violated, that authorities and section authorities person the quality to criminally analyse and criminally prosecute anyone who has violated the law. Because we cannot spot Kristi Noem oregon Pam Bondi to behaviour an autarkic investigation. We judge that delicate locations should beryllium disconnected limits, delicate locations similar houses of worship, schools, hospitals oregon polling sites, and that fundamentally ICE should beryllium targeting convulsive felons who are present unlawfully, arsenic opposed to violently targeting instrumentality abiding migrant families, which is wholly inconsistent with what Donald Trump promised the American radical helium would do.
ED O'KEEFE: Right. And we, of course, this past week reported that astir 14% of those detained had convulsive transgression records. About 60% of them were wanted connected transgression records overall. But it was that 14%, convulsive criminals. Again, I just- it sounds similar this is going to spell connected a while, due to the fact that Tom Homan wasn't terribly flexible connected anything, particularly connected the contented of warrants and masks. You're not ceding immoderate ground. So there's a fewer things coming up here. For example, State of the Union is scheduled for a week from Tuesday. Should it beryllium held if the Department of Homeland Security is unopen down?
REP. JEFFRIES: Well, we'll transverse that span erstwhile we get to it. It is surely my hope--
ED O'KEEFE: --Sounds similar you're going to get to it, though. I mean--
REP. JEFFRIES:--we tin travel to a solution successful beforehand of it. Well, here's the thing, the medication and Republicans person made a wide determination that they would alternatively unopen down FEMA, unopen down the Coast Guard and unopen down TSA, than enact the benignant of melodramatic reforms indispensable truthful that ICE and different DHS instrumentality enforcement agencies are conducting themselves similar each different instrumentality enforcement nonrecreational successful the country. For instance, constabulary officers don't usage masks. County Sheriffs don't usage masks. State troopers don't usage masks. Why is it that ICE agents who are untrained, are being unleashed connected American communities with this benignant of lawlessness, unit and brutality. Unacceptable, unconscionable, and it's un-American.
ED O'KEEFE: Yeah, and we went implicit this with Tom Homan a small earlier. Of course, they constituent retired that assaults against ICE officers person gone up implicit 1,300% this past year, from astir 275 compared to 19 the twelvemonth before. So determination are immoderate morganatic concerns astir those agents being targeted, but your broader constituent about--
REP. JEFFRIES: --We're going to- yeah--
ED O'KEEFE:-- whether oregon not instrumentality enforcement should behave the aforesaid arsenic our instrumentality enforcement is heard.
REP. JEFFRIES: Yes, and we're going to continue, of course, to promote the American radical to workout their law rights, their state of assembly and their state of code and their state of look peacefully, arsenic we saw overwhelmingly done successful Minneapolis.
ED O'KEEFE: All right, good we'll enactment tuned connected the shutdown and the negotiations. Let maine inquire you a fewer different things portion we person you. First of all, you're a subordinate of the Gang of Eight who gets briefed connected nationalist information matters. The Pentagon is reportedly readying for the anticipation of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if diplomacy fails and the president opts to attack. What bash you cognize astir those plans? Or what would you privation to larn arsenic a subordinate of the Gang of Eight?
REP. JEFFRIES: Well, the administration, arsenic has been the lawsuit since the precise opening of this presidency, has been dilatory to supply accusation some to the Gang of Eight members of Congress, the legislative enactment and the apical Democrats and Republicans connected the Intel Committee and surely hasn't provided a important magnitude of accusation to Congress successful general. These radical wrong the administration, the extremists, they don't look to judge that Congress is simply a abstracted and co-equal subdivision of government. We are. In fact, the powerfulness to state warfare is exclusively fixed to Congress successful Article I of the United States Constitution. Now, the American radical privation Donald Trump and Republicans to really support their committedness and absorption connected driving down the precocious outgo of surviving and fixing our breached wellness attraction system. It was Donald Trump, who promised, successful fact, that costs volition spell down connected time one. Costs haven't gone down. We're successful the midst of an affordability situation that hasn't been resolved. Perhaps the president should absorption connected making beingness amended for the American people. Period. Full stop.
ED O'KEEFE: I perceive you connected that. I privation to punctual our viewers of the existent tick tock choky margins successful the House. You've got to nett astatine slightest 3 seats to instrumentality the bulk astatine this point. I privation to play for you portion of what you had to accidental astir the 2026 elections erstwhile you were asked this past Thursday. Take a listen.
(BEGIN TAPE)
REP. JEFFRIES: We lone request to nett three. It's happening. Democrats are going to instrumentality backmost power of the House, and the lone question is, what's the margin?
(END TAPE)
ED O'KEEFE: Right now, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considers 44 of the 435 seats successful the House successful play, including, you conscionable added 5 caller ones this past week, South Central Virginia, a territory successful South Carolina, confederate Minnesota, cardinal Colorado and the at-large spot successful Montana. Parts of the state wherever Democrats don't usually triumph elections, we should constituent out. So if the predetermination were held today, astatine minimum, astatine minimum, however galore seats bash you spot Democrats winning?
REP. JEFFRIES: Well, if the predetermination were held today, we're taking backmost power of the House of Representatives, and I'm not convinced that it would needfully beryllium close. But these are battles that are going to beryllium waged, territory by territory by district, we cognize we're winning seats present successful heavy reddish territory. We saw that successful Miami successful December, wherever we won the mayor's contention for the archetypal clip successful 30 years by 20 points. And past successful January, of course, we flipped a spot successful the Texas State Senate that Donald Trump had conscionable won by 17 points. The Democratic campaigner won it by 14. That was a 31 constituent implicit performance. And past conscionable past play successful Louisiana, we flipped the House spot that Trump had won by 14. We won that- oregon 13--
ED O'KEEFE: So you won it–
REP. JEFFRIES: --by 24 points. That was a 37 constituent implicit performance. My constituent is we're winning crossed the country, successful bluish states and purple states and reddish states, due to the fact that the American radical cognize we're the lone ones focused connected driving down the precocious outgo of living, fixing our breached wellness attraction strategy and making definite that migration enforcement is just and just.
ED O'KEEFE: You've got to get astatine slightest three. Twenty to 25 seats, each 44 seats. What bash you deliberation close now? Give maine a number.
REP. JEFFRIES: Well, I'm not successful the prediction business. I'm successful the let's triumph connected behalf of the American radical truthful we tin extremity this nationalist nightmare business.
ED O'KEEFE: All right. Leader Jeffries, to beryllium continued connected the shutdown and connected the midterms. We admit you spending immoderate clip with america this morning. We'll speech to you soon, and we'll beryllium close backmost with a batch much Face the Nation. Stay with us.
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