US government could see shutdown on Friday as Democrats stall funding bill over immigration enforcement reform

A key vote intended to head off a partial government shutdown failed in the Senate on Thursday, after Democrats refused to back funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unless it included reforms to federal agents involved in Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

However a Senate aide confirmed that Democrats have been negotiating with Republicans on a deal that could result in passage of most government funding bills and a short-term measure covering the DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the US border patrol.

The intention would be to buy time for further talks over Democrats’ demands for changes to immigration enforcement in the wake of the deaths of US citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis, which include an end to mask wearing by federal agents, the imposition of a code of conduct and independent investigations of its violations.

Nonetheless, the procedural vote’s failure in the Senate appears to guarantee at least a partial government shutdown beginning after Friday, when the current spending authorizations for many government departments expire. Any changes to the DHS funding bill would have to be approved by the House of Representatives, which is out of session until Monday.