By JOEY CAPPELLETTI

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — Gathered at a resort in suburban Virginia, House Democrats this week were acting like a party on the verge of reclaiming power as they drafted policy blueprints and spoke confidently about election victories in November.

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“We’re here at this issues conference to talk amongst each other and with outside stakeholders and experts about a bold, meaningful, transformational path forward,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

After a punishing 2024 cycle, many Democrats believe the high cost of living as well as voter frustration with President Donald Trump’s second term have put the majority in the House well within their reach. But beneath the confidence is a quieter uncertainty: Beyond opposing Trump, Democrats face the defining challenge of developing a unifying policy agenda capable of holding together a party undergoing generational and ideological change.

Any Democratic majority would immediately use subpoena power against the Republican administration, something they have been unable to do in the minority. But beyond that, while members agree on the problems facing voters — affordability, immigration enforcement and countering Trump — fissures remain between the party’s progressive left and its more centrist wing.

“We can’t be just anti-Trump,” said Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell, the caucus’ policy leader. “We have to have an agenda.”

Rep. Joe Neguse D-Colo. Speaks as Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Tom Brenner)

Unity in opposition

The party’s internal tensions were laid bare during the 2024 election and in the months afterward as Democrats argued over messaging on immigration, the economy and foreign policy. But when Trump returned to power and moved quickly to implement his agenda, those disagreements receded as Democrats moved to an opposition footing.

In the House, Democrats have rallied together to challenge Trump’s policies, forcing — and succeeding on — votes opposing tariffs and requiring the release of Department of Justice files related to Jeffrey Epstein.

“We have become the most effective minority party in U.S. history,” said California Rep. Ted Lieu, vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus.

But after more than three years as the minority party in the House, Democrats say the political environment is shifting. Looking back to November, they point to the ballot initiative in California to redraw congressional maps, along with strong gubernatorial performances in Virginia and New Jersey.

Since then, Democrats say there have been other overperformances to show their momentum, such as flipping a state Senate district in Texas this month in an area that Trump had won by 17 percentage points in 2024.

“It’s going to be a sprint” to Nov, 3, Election Day, Jeffries said. “House Democrats are on the verge of a takeover.”

Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., speaks at a Democratic Steering and Policy Committee hearing on Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Capitol, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

The harder task is governing

If Democrats reclaim the House, their most immediate power would be oversight. Committee chairs would gain subpoena authority and the ability to compel testimony — tools that leaders say would be used aggressively to scrutinize the administration.

“Make no mistake, oversight will be muscular and significant,” said Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse, a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

House Democratic Caucus leader Pete Aguilar of California said that “when it comes to oversight and accountability, it is a target-rich environment.” But he also said Democrats cannot rely on investigations alone.

The standoff over funding for the Department of Homeland Security has illustrated how resistance can unify the caucus. Democrats have largely held together in opposition, using their leverage to outline demands for accountability.

Yet divisions remain.

Some high-profile progressives, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, have called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Party leaders and more centrist members, wary of overreach, have instead advocated major changes, raising questions about whether resolving the shutdown could expose deeper splits.

“We cannot allow a federal agency — one that was created for one purpose to terrorize — to function as an occupying force in our communities,” Omar, whose district includes Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs, said on the House floor this month. “Real accountability starts with abolishing ICE.”

A previous shutdown fight underscored how compromise can strain that cohesion. When some Democratic senators agreed to reopen the government without securing an extension of key health care subsidies, backlash from the party’s left flank was intense.

“The American people asked us over and over to fight for health care and to lower our costs overall,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at the time. “Obviously that broke apart at the end.”

‘A closing argument’

The week’s policy conference came and went with few specifics attached to the “bold, meaningful, transformational path forward” that Jeffries previewed at the outset. Instead, members coalesced around broad themes — lowering costs, protecting health care and drawing contrasts with Trump — while leaving the details for later.

“That’s the work that we’re still to do,” said Illinois Rep. Nikki Budzinski when asked about what House Democrats’ first bill would be in a new majority. “We’ve rolled out nine different frameworks. All of them are equally important, I think, to address affordability, which is our coalition’s goal. It’s hard to say that there’s one silver bullet.”

Democrats’ “Six for ’06” agenda was not unveiled until the fall of 2006, weeks before voters handed them the majority. In 2018, the party campaigned under the “For the People” banner months before translating it into legislation once Democrats were in power.

“I expect to refresh our core message frame ahead of a closing argument for this fall,” said Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood. “The closing argument was 6 for ‘06. Closing argument in 2018 was ‘For the People,’ right? So, we’re going to have a closing argument message frame that you all be delighted and wowed by as we head into the fall election season.”

Still, the closer Democrats believe they are to reclaiming the majority, the more pressing the agenda becomes. Oversight may be the most immediate tool of a new majority. Sustaining power and shaping the party’s direction beyond a single election cycle will require more than subpoenas.

“What we tell our members and what we tell candidates who are running is we have to do all of the things,” Aguilar said. “We have to do oversight and accountability, and we have to talk about the affordability agenda and how we’re going to make life better for people if we are given the opportunity to lead.”

AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

By MICHAEL HILL and JAKE OFFENHARTZ

A nearly blind refugee from Myanmar who disappeared after U.S. Border Patrol agents dropped him off at a Buffalo doughnut shop was found dead on the street five days later, prompting a police investigation and complaints from city officials that he’d been abandoned without care for his safety.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam, 56, was detained by Border Patrol agents on Feb. 19 after his release from a county jail, but was let go that same day after federal authorities determined he wasn’t eligible for deportation.

The agents brought him to a Tim Hortons restaurant north of Buffalo’s downtown and dropped him there, authorities and advocates said. His family, which had initially expected him to walk out of jail, wasn’t informed he had been released. Shah Alam’s lawyer reported him missing to Buffalo police on Feb. 22 after learning that an area immigration detention center didn’t have him in custody.

Shah Alam was found dead Tuesday night near the downtown sports arena where the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres play. It was unclear how he got there from the Tim Hortons, several miles away, or when he died.

The county medical examiner was investigating the cause of death, health officials said Thursday. The Buffalo Police Department told reporters that the medical examiner had concluded that the death was “health related” and ruled out exposure or homicide, but the Erie County Department of Health later disputed that account, saying no determination had been made. Detectives were investigating the events leading up to Shah Alam’s death, which was first reported by the Investigative Post.

Khaleda Shah, a family friend and spokesperson, said the family wants justice.

“We do not want his death to just go to waste,” she said Thursday at Shah Alam’s funeral. “We want his death to bring awareness to his community, his family, his community at large. We want his name, his story to be a voice for those who are still suffering.”

Mayor blames death in part on ‘dereliction of duty’

Buffalo’s mayor, a Democrat, blamed Shah Alam’s death at least partly on a “dereliction of duty” by federal agents, saying they shouldn’t have left him alone, miles from his home.

“A vulnerable man — nearly blind and unable to speak English — was left alone on a cold winter night with no known attempt to leave him in a safe, secure location. That decision from U.S. Customs and Border Protection was unprofessional and inhumane,” Mayor Sean Ryan said in a statement.

Ryan said Shah Alam had been wearing orange booties issued by the county holding center, rather than proper shoes suitable for winter weather.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection defended its actions.

“Border Patrol agents offered him a courtesy ride, which he chose to accept to a coffee shop, determined to be a warm, safe location near his last known address, rather than be released directly from the Border Patrol station,” it said in a statement. “He showed no signs of distress, mobility issues, or disabilities requiring special assistance.”

Cold and light snow in Buffalo while Shah Alam was missing

During the days Shah Alam was missing, temperatures in Buffalo fell below freezing and light snow fell.

Shah Alam arrived in the United States with his wife and two of his children in December 2024 in search of opportunity for his family, said Imran Fazal, who knows the family and founded a group called the Rohingya Empowerment Community. He had worked in construction for many years previously in Malaysia.

Buffalo police arrested Shah Alam a year ago after an incident that resulted in minor injuries to two officers. He was initially indicted on charges of assault, burglary and criminal mischief, according to Erie County District Attorney Mike Keane. Prosecutors said he had two metal poles when he approached the officers.

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Fazal said the arrest was a misunderstanding based on the language barrier and cultural differences, and that Shah Alam had been taking shelter from the snow near a house at the time. He also said Shah Alam cannot walk properly without a cane. Shah Alam ultimately pleaded guilty Feb. 9 to misdemeanor charges of trespassing and possession of a weapon and was scheduled to be sentenced in March.

Keane, the district attorney, said he had offered a reduced plea “in the interest of justice.” One factor in the decision was avoiding the mandatory deportation that would result from a felony conviction, he said.

Fazal said the family was able to post bail and went to the county jail Feb. 19 expecting Shah Alam to be freed.

“The family was waiting in the waiting room,” Fazal said. “They were thinking he was just coming out.”

But since federal Border Patrol had lodged an immigration detainer after his arrest, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office followed standard practice and informed the federal agency about his pending release.

Ryan said Shah Alam was initially taken to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, which did not take him.

Shah Alam’s family searched for him after his attorney was notified about the nighttime drop-off at a Tim Hortons, but could not locate him, said Fazal.

Fazal called it “a complete failure of the system.”

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, sent a letter to federal officials demanding a full accounting of the actions taken by agents. New York Attorney General Letitia James, also a Democrat, said her office is reviewing its legal options.

DENVER — In the race for Central Division supremacy, everything is trending the right way for the Minnesota Wild.

Thursday night’s 5-2 statement win in Colorado left Minnesota just five points back of the Avalanche and ahead in their season series, with one more head-to-head matchup to come next Sunday afternoon in Denver.

Colorado, which took a ridiculous 27-2-7 record into the Christmas break, is operating at a more manageable altitude of late, with an 8-8-2 mark since the calendar flipped to 2026. So, even with the Avalanche owning two games in hand on the Wild, there is a fighting chance that a second division champions banner could be hung inside Grand Casino Arena when the regular season concludes.

But when you ask the Wild if grabbing the Central’s top spot heading into the playoffs matters, you get decidedly different answers.

“It’d be awesome to catch them and surpass them,” Wild forward Marcus Foligno said before the team headed to Denver this week. “For a team that’s been in the NHL kind of looked at as a Goliath a little bit, to be right there with them at the (Olympic) break was huge. We feel confident. We want that number one spot for sure.”

It has only been done once before in the 25-year timeline of the Wild. Paced by 42 goals from Marian Gaborik in the 2007-08 season, the Wild won the Northwest Division, which they shared with Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, and got home ice in the playoffs.

That accomplishment amounted to little more than that aforementioned banner, as the Avalanche took Minnesota out in six games in the opening round of the postseason.

Even with Thursday’s win in Colorado — Matt Boldy returned from the Olympic return with two goals and two assists — and a 9-1-1 streak heading into Friday’s late game in Utah, the Wild’s odds of catching Colorado are slim. Depending on which numbers-crunching website you believe, Minnesota currently has a sub-10% chance of winning the Central.

They would be wiser, many believe, to set their sights on finishing second ahead of Dallas, to get home ice in a first-round series against the Stars. The Wild entered play on Friday night leading Dallas by a point, although the Stars had a game in hand.

There is an awareness that emptying the regular-season tank to win the division would be unwise, that building toward their best hockey for April is a smarter play.

“I don’t think it’s about catching people, I think it’s about growing our game to get it to the best place it can possibly be,” Boldy said after Thursday’s win at Ball Arena. “That’s the biggest thing for us, I think, is the better we can grow our game, kind of keep improving and finding ways to play as a team. Then that stuff just happens, and it falls into place.”

Since Minnesota re-entered the NHL as an expansion team in 2000, the Avalanche are the only foe that has been a division rival for the Wild’s entire tenure. They have met in the playoffs three times, with the team owning home ice advantage getting eliminated in each series.

So, maybe a head of steam going into the playoffs would suit the Wild better than a new division title banner in the rafters. As the wins pile up, it is increasingly clear that this Wild team has its sights focused on a banner won in June, not April.

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Nine more people were arrested Friday in an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul church, according to a civil rights attorney federally indicted in the case last month.

Protesters disrupted services inside Cities Church on Summit Avenue near Snelling Avenue on Jan. 18, chanting “ICE out” amid an immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota. People also shouted, “Justice for Renee Good,” who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. They said the acting field office director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota serves as a pastor at the church.

Seven people were indicted last month. Nekima Levy Armstrong, a Twin Cities civil rights attorney and activist, wrote on social media that the additional nine people were arrested Friday morning and are scheduled to be in court Friday afternoon.

The nine initially arrested are charged under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. The FACE Act prohibits interference or intimidation of “any person by force, threat of force, or physical obstruction exercising or seeking to exercise the First Amendment right of religious freedom at a place of religious worship.”

They have pleaded not guilty. The people charged last month were Levy Armstrong, former CNN host turned independent journalist Don Lemon, St. Paul School Board Member Chauntyll Allen, independent Twin Cities journalist Georgia Fort, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office lobbyist Jamael Lundy, St. Paul activist Trahern Crews, social media personality William Scott Kelly, along with Jerome Deangelo Richardson and Ian Davis Austin.

One of the people arrested Friday is also an independent journalist, according to Levy Armstrong.

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