(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer advanced a deal late on Wednesday to negotiate new restrictions on federal immigration agents, potentially avoiding a government shutdown, the New York Times reported, citing officials familiar with the matter.
Under the plan, the Senate would craft legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security from a six-bill package of spending measures needed to fund the military, health care programs and other federal agencies through the end of the fiscal year, the Times reported.
Reuters could not immediately verify the information. The White House and a spokesman for Schumer did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
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The Senate would pass the bills before Friday’s midnight deadline, and Congress would also consider a short-term extension of homeland security operations to avoid gaps in services at the Transportation Security Agency, the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the NYT added.
The news comes after Senate Democrats called for new restrictions on immigration agents earlier in the day, paving the way for a partial U.S. government shutdown this weekend.
Democrats have said they will not agree to an extension of DHS funding through September without new limits on Trump’s immigration crackdown.
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ICE and Border Patrol agents came under widespread criticism after agents killed a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis last Saturday during immigration enforcement operations.
