By Richard Cowan and Susan Heavey
Jan 28 (Reuters) – Democrats in the U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump’s administration are in discussions that could impose new restrictions on federal immigration agents and avert a partial government shutdown, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Though no agreement has been reached, “discussions are moving in Democrats’ direction,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Angered by the shooting of a second U.S. citizen by immigration agents in Minneapolis last weekend, Senate Democrats are demanding new restrictions on the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement efforts.
They have threatened to block funding legislation for DHS and several other federal agencies, which could trigger a partial shutdown when funding expires at midnight Friday.
Democrats are pushing to carve out DHS funding from the broader spending package, which would enable the Senate to ensure funding is not disrupted for the Pentagon, health programs, and other government operations.
Democrats also are seeking a temporary spending extension for DHS to buy more time for negotiations. The Senate is expected to hold a preliminary vote on the broader spending package on Thursday.
The shooting, the second such incident in Minneapolis this month, has spurred widespread outrage, prompting Trump’s administration to reshuffle personnel overseeing immigration enforcement in the region. Immigration agents in Minnesota were directed on Wednesday to avoid engaging with “agitators”, according to internal guidance seen by Reuters.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan and Susan Heavey in Washington and Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Andy Sullivan, Christopher Cushing, Michael Perry and Chizu Nomiyama)