The caucus-wide confab will be House Democrats' first introduction to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. | Getty House Democrats to huddle with DHS chief Friday

House Democrats will meet with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly on Friday to talk about everything from the administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants to the new travel ban.

The caucus-wide confab will be House Democrats' first introduction to Kelly and follows a rocky meeting with top immigration enforcement officials with several Democrats last month. It also marks the caucus' first meeting with a Trump Cabinet secretary.


House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley requested the meeting last week after Democrats expressed concerns with President Donald Trump’s efforts to beef up immigration enforcement, which some lawmakers fear is setting the stage for mass deportations.

Kelly is also expected to face a barrage of questions about the administration’s new travel ban, which goes into effect Thursday. The executive order, which temporarily bars citizens from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., is already facing legal challenges.

The sit-down with Kelly follows a contentious meeting with acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan in mid-February.

Homan canceled a meeting initially scheduled with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus after a round of nationwide immigration raids because of the large number of Democratic lawmakers expected to attend. ICE then rescheduled the meeting through GOP leadership, limiting the attendance to around a dozen House Republicans and Democrats. Several Democrats who tried to attend the meeting were kicked out or denied entry.

