DHS Shutdown Enters Sixth Week; 100,000 Employees Furloughed as Oversight Collapses

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues into its sixth week after the Senate failed a fifth funding vote. Majority Leader Thune threatened to cancel Easter recess to force a deal. Approximately 100,000 DHS employees remain furloughed, though immigration enforcement continues using prior appropriations from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Internal oversight offices — including the Immigration Detention Ombudsman and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties office — remain non-operational, creating an accountability vacuum during a period of record detention levels exceeding 73,000.