Rep. Josh Riley on Government Shutdown Deadline, ICE Reforms, and Local Impact

The clock is ticking for the federal government to avoid a government shutdown tonight.

Senate Democrats struck a rare deal with the White House on Thursday to separate Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding from the broader spending package and extend DHS funding for two weeks. The agreement follows national outrage over the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, two U.S. citizens killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.

U.S. Representative Josh Riley, who represents New York’s 19th Congressional District, has described President Trump’s Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations as “out of control.”

“What we’ve seen in Minneapolis over the last couple of weeks just shows what I’ve been saying all along, which is that our immigration system is just so completely broken in this country,” said Riley.

The House must still pass the package if approved by the Senate in order to avoid a government shutdown. Riley said he’s hopeful that Congress can find common ground ahead of the shutdown, but it’s unclear when the House would vote on the bills.

“What I’m going to be pushing for is those things that we can agree on and that have brought bipartisan support,” said Riley. “Let’s get those done and then let’s focus on the debate that we need to have over immigration reform.”

Riley says the increased immigration raids have instilled unprecedented fear across the Catskills and Hudson Valley.

“The vast majority of immigrants in our community are hardworking law-abiding folks who are paying their taxes and contributing to our communities,” said Riley. He said he criticized the Biden administration for being “too weak on border security” and is now holding the Trump administration accountable for acting “unconstitutionally and recklessly.”

Riley’s district spans from the Southern Tier to western Catskills, including Sullivan, Delaware, and parts of Ulster and Greene counties.

Hundreds of protests are scheduled on Friday – including in Newburgh – as part of a national general strike pushing back against escalating ICE raids across the country. Organizers are calling for a day-long boycott of school, work, and shopping to stop ICE funding.

Image: The American flag flies atop the Capitol Building, Monday, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)