Congress will debate new limits on federal immigration raids across the country for two weeks after the Senate on Friday voted to fund large parts of the government through the end of September while providing a temporary extension of funding to the Department of Homeland Security.
The bill passed 71-29 and will now be introduced in the House of Representatives, which has until Monday to introduce it. That means the government could undergo a temporary partial shutdown over the weekend until passed.
The vote came as President Donald Trump struck a spending deal with Senate Democrats on Thursday after the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.
“The country is reaching a breaking point,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said after the vote. “The American people are demanding that Congress step up and force change.”
Trump said he did not want a government shutdown and had negotiated an unusual agreement with his longtime adversary, Schumer, as lawmakers from both parties called for an investigation into the deadly shooting. President Trump then encouraged lawmakers from both parties to cast a “much-needed bipartisan ‘yes’ vote.”
Democrats said they would not vote in favor of a larger spending bill unless Congress considers legislation that would unmask agents, require more warrants and allow local authorities to help investigate cases.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who held a conference call with Republican lawmakers on Friday, said he expected the House to vote Monday night. However, what is uncertain is how much support there is for this package.
Johnson’s right wing has expressed opposition to limiting the Homeland Security Fund, leaving him dependent on Democratic lawmakers who have their own opposition to funding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement without immediate restraint.
Two weeks of debate over ICE
It’s unclear how involved President Trump will be in negotiations over new limits on immigrant arrests, or whether Republicans and Democrats will be able to find any compromise.
Schumer said Senate Democrats would not support extending Homeland Security funding beyond two weeks “unless we rein in ICE and end the violence.” “If our colleagues are not going to make real change, we shouldn’t expect Democratic votes.”
Similarly, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters that any changes to the Homeland Act “must be meaningful and transformative.”
Without “drastic change,” “the Republican Party will be shut down again,” Jeffries said.
Senate Minority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said the two sides would “talk in good faith” but that it would be “really, really difficult” to get anything done, especially in such a short period of time.
“We remain hopeful, but there are some pretty significant disagreements,” Thun said.
Democrats demand change
The White House has been called on by outraged Democratic lawmakers to “end loitering patrols” in urban areas and work with local law enforcement on immigrant arrests, including stricter warrant requirements.
They also want an enforceable code of conduct to hold agents accountable if they violate the rules. Schumer said officers should be required to “take off their masks, wear body cameras” and carry proper identification, as is common practice in most law enforcement agencies.
Alex Preti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was killed by a Border Patrol agent on January 24, two weeks after Renee Good, a mother of three, was killed by ICE agents.
Trump administration officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, initially said Preti approached officers aggressively, but multiple videos contradict that claim.
