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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) made clear there is "NO CHANGE" to border security during the federal government shutdown and warned that its efforts to curb illegal immigration "remain strict."
A crackdown on illegal immigration and mass deportations are top priorities of the Trump administration, but its aggressive approach has divided opinion, even among the majority who broadly support a tougher stance.
A contingency plan released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), under which ICE operates, stated that most of its employees—19,626 out of 21,028—were exempt from the lapse in appropriations.
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"There is NO CHANGE to U.S. immigration laws or border enforcement," ICE said in a post on X early Wednesday morning, the first day of the shutdown.
"Rumors that a U.S. government shutdown will allow illegal immigrants to enter the United States are FALSE. U.S. immigration laws and enforcement efforts remain unchanged.
"Border security and enforcement efforts remain strict, and crossing the border without authorization remains a crime."
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Government Shutdown Uncertainty
It is not clear how long the government shutdown will last or what its full consequences will be.
Noncritical federal services are being scaled down under contingency plans developed by the agencies that operate them, including the furloughing of thousands of workers, who will remain unpaid until funding is restored by Congress.
President Donald Trump has said a shutdown allows his Republican administration to cut "Democrat things" it wants to "get rid of." He also warned of mass layoffs.
Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress are locked in a standoff over a short-term funding bill that would reopen the government and allow time for full bipartisan negotiations on appropriations.
The GOP wants to pass a clean stopgap bill to extend current funding for seven weeks.
However, the Democratic leadership is demanding an immediate extension of the soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their votes, claiming that Americans would face a sharp increase in health care costs without it.
Republicans have said they will not negotiate until the government reopens, but Democrats say they will not reopen the government until negotiations have taken place.
Poll Signals Voter Blame for Government Shutdown
A poll released a few hours before the government shutdown took effect provided insight into how voters might apportion the blame.
The New York Times/Siena poll of 1,313 registered voters was conducted from September 22 to 27, missing a couple of key days of political wrangling before the shutdown deadline.
More registered voters said they would blame Trump and the Republicans in Congress for a shutdown, at 26 percent, than the Democrats, at 19 percent. Thirty-three percent blamed them both equally.
However, more than a fifth, 21 percent, said they had not yet heard enough to take a stance, indicating a sizable number of minds that could be won over in the ongoing Republican-Democratic blame game.
In an ominous sign for Democrats, 65 percent of registered voters said they should not shut down the government, even if their demands are not met.
Update 10/1/25, 9:12 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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