No Clear Path To Ending Partial Government Shutdown As Lawmakers Dig In Over Homeland Security

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Lawmakers and nan White House offered nary signs of discuss Sunday successful their conflict complete oversight of national migration officers that has led to a region successful backing for nan Department of Homeland Security.

A partial authorities shutdown began Saturday aft legislature Democrats and President Trump’s squad grounded to scope a woody connected authorities to money nan section done September. Democrats are demanding changes to really migration operations are conducted aft nan fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by national officers successful Minneapolis past month.

Congress is connected recess until Feb. 23, and some sides look dug into their positions. The impasse affects agencies specified arsenic nan Transportation Security Administration, nan Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, nan Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The activity astatine ICE and CBP goes connected unabated because Trump’s taxation and spending trim rule from 2025 provided billions much to those agencies that tin beryllium tapped for deportation operations. About 90% of Homeland Security labor were to proceed moving during nan shutdown, but do truthful without salary — and missed paychecks could mean financial hardships. Last twelvemonth location was a grounds 43-day authorities shutdown.

White House separator advisor Tom Homan said nan management was unwilling to work together to Democrats’ demands that national officers intelligibly place themselves, region masks during operations and show unsocial ID numbers.

“I don’t for illustration nan masks, either,” Homan said, But, he said, “These men and women person to protect themselves.”

Democrats besides want to require migration agents to deterioration assemblage cameras and instruction judicial warrants for arrests connected backstage property.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats are only asking for national agents to abide by rules followed by rule enforcement agencies astir nan country.

“And nan mobility that Americans are asking is, ‘Why aren’t Republicans going on pinch these commonsense proposals?’” Schumer said. “They’re not crazy. They’re not measurement out. They’re what each constabulary section successful America does.”

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said he could backmost Democrats’ calls to equip migration officers pinch assemblage cameras and would support efforts to bolster training. But he balked astatine their demands that national officers region masks and intelligibly place themselves, noting immoderate officers taking portion successful migration enforcement operations person faced doxing and different harassment.

“What are you going to do, expose their faces truthful you tin intimidate their families?” Mullins said. “What we want is ICE to beryllium capable to do their job. And we would emotion for section rule enforcement and for states to cooperate pinch us.”

Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, a Trump state who had pushed for a two-week hold of Homeland Security backing while negotiations continued, said it was “shortsighted of Democrats to locomotion away” from talks.

Trump made enforcement of nan nation’s migration laws a centerpiece of his 2024 run for nan White House and he promised to beryllium fierce successful detaining and deporting group surviving successful nan United States without ineligible permission.

The Homeland Security Department reports it has deported much than 675,000 migrants since Trump’s return to agency past twelvemonth and claims immoderate 2.2 cardinal others person “self-deported” arsenic nan Republican president has made his migration crackdown a priority.

“President Trump is not going to backmost distant from nan mission, nan ngo that American group said they wanted him to complete, and that is securing our separator and making judge that we really do interior enforcement,” Britt said.

Homan was connected CBS’ “Face nan Nation,” Schumer and Mullin appeared connected CNN’s “State of nan Union” and Britt was interviewed connected “Fox News Sunday.”

Madhani writes for nan Associated Press.