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A fierce legislative impasse over immigration enforcement has pushed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the brink of a partial government shutdown, scheduled to begin after midnight on Friday.
The standoff was triggered by Democrats’ refusal to approve new funding for the agency without significant reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Tensions reached a breaking point following the January deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens who were fatally shot by federal agents during an anti-immigration protest in Minneapolis.
Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have characterised ICE as an “out of control” agency that requires immediate oversight.
Their list of demands includes a mandate for judicial warrants before agents enter private property, a ban on agents wearing face masks during operations, and a reduction in neighbourhood patrols.
“Democrats will not support a blank cheque for chaos,” Schumer stated, emphasising that taxpayer dollars should not be used for “heavy-handed” tactics against citizens.
The White House has pushed back aggressively, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt accusing the opposition of “barrelling” the government toward a shutdown for purely partisan reasons.
While Republicans hold a 53-seat majority in the Senate, they remain short of the 60 votes required to bypass a filibuster and pass the budget.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune noted that while negotiations are ongoing, Democrats are unlikely to receive their “full wish list” in exchange for reopening the agency.
If a deal is not reached by the deadline, this will mark the third shutdown of President Trump’s second term, following a historic 43-day closure late last year.
While ICE itself has enough carry-over funding to remain operational, the ripple effects will be felt most acutely by travellers and disaster victims.
The TSA has already warned that a prolonged closure could lead to “longer wait times and cancelled flights” across the country, as thousands of security officers are forced to work without a guaranteed pay cheque.
