Partisan Firestorm: Rep. Greg Murphy Accuses Democrats of Using Immigration Leverage in Shutdown Crisis

By Alex Chen | Monday, 16 February 2026

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., told reporters on Monday that the potential government shutdown is being driven by partisan politics rather than public safety concerns.

He stated that Democrats are leveraging immigration agencies while essential operations continue. The Department of Homeland Security funding dispute centers on a looming government shutdown as lawmakers clash over border security policy. Republicans advocate for stricter immigration enforcement provisions, whereas Democrats aim to pass a clean or minimally altered funding bill, leaving federal agencies caught in the middle of a political standoff ahead of the deadline.

When asked about Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and his argument that Democrats are making “commonsense” proposals to avoid a shutdown, Murphy said: “There’s been nothing common sense about Chuck Schumer during his leadership reign.”

Murphy argued that the broader debate over border security and immigration enforcement has been distorted by political messaging and media coverage. He criticized mainstream media for allegedly joining the Democratic Party in blocking Trump’s initiatives: “But sadly enough, our mainstream media, which has literally joined the Democratic Party in trying to literally block everything that Trump has been doing, continues to flame the fuel, the fires,” he said.

Murphy highlighted crimes committed by illegal immigrants as an issue receiving insufficient attention. He questioned: “Is it OK that over 14 to 1,700 Americans have been killed or raped or otherwise injured by folks who have come into the country illegally?”

“That never gets covered,” he added. “But now, instead, things are focused on a few of the tragedies.”

Murphy emphasized immigration enforcement must be carried out firmly but lawfully: “We need to get these people out of the country,” he said. “We need to do it in the right way.”

He noted: “Fanning the flames is what mainstream media does best, and this is what’s really, really hurt our efforts to reestablish law in the country.”

Murphy questioned the strategy of using immigration enforcement funding as political leverage: “So what is the point of using ICE as leverage and putting a financial strain on families when these families of these TSA agents have nothing to do with this fight?”

He asserted that the standoff reflects internal Democratic Party dynamics rather than substantive policy disagreements: “It’s all about politics,” he said. “It is all about bending to the far left wing of the party, which is what Jeffries is doing now because he has a primary.”

Referring to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Murphy accused Schumer of acting out of fear: “It’s what Schumer has been doing all along because he’s afraid of a bartender in New York.”

Murphy urged voters to consider the alternative to Republican leadership on border security: “You have to look at what the alternative is,” he said.

Concluding his remarks, Murphy stated that the shutdown fight reflects deeper divisions harming the country: “They focus on the things that divide us,” he added. “And this is what’s bad for America.”