No Clear End to Partial Gov't Shutdown 02/17 06:29

   Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs of compromise Sunday in their 
battle over oversight of federal immigration officers that has led to a pause 
in funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

   WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Lawmakers and the White House offered no signs 
of compromise Sunday in their battle over oversight of federal immigration 
officers that has led to a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland 
Security.

   A partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats 
and President Donald Trump's team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund 
the department through September. Democrats are demanding changes to how 
immigration operations are conducted after the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens 
Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal officers in Minneapolis last month.

   Congress is on recess until Feb. 23, and both sides appear dug into their 
positions. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security 
Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, the 
Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection.

   The work at ICE and CBP goes on unabated because Trump's tax and spending 
cut law from 2025 provided billions more to those agencies that can be tapped 
for deportation operations. About 90% of DHS employees were to continue working 
during the shutdown, but do so without pay -- and missed paychecks could mean 
financial hardships. Last year there was a record 43-day government shutdown.

   White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration was unwilling to 
agree to Democrats' demands that federal officers clearly identify themselves, 
remove masks during operations and display unique ID numbers.

   "I don't like the masks, either," Homan said, But, he said, "These men and 
women have to protect themselves."

   Democrats also want to require immigration agents to wear body cameras and 
mandate judicial warrants for arrests on private property.

   Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats are only asking 
for federal agents to abide by rules followed by law enforcement agencies 
around the country.

   "And the question that Americans are asking is, 'Why aren't Republicans 
going along with these commonsense proposals?'" Schumer said. "They're not 
crazy. They're not way out. They're what every police department in America 
does."

   Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., said he could back Democrats calls to equip 
immigration officers with body cameras and would support efforts to bolster 
training. But he balked at their demands that federal officers remove masks and 
clearly identify themselves, noting some officers taking part in immigration 
enforcement operations have faced doxing and other harassment.

   "What are you going to do, expose their faces so you can intimidate their 
families?" Mullins said. "What we want is ICE to be able to do their job. And 
we would love for local law enforcement and for states to cooperate with us."

   Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, a Trump ally who had pushed for a 
two-week extension of DHS funding while negotiations continued, said it was 
"shortsighted of Democrats to walk away" from talks.

   Trump made enforcement of the nation's immigration laws a centerpiece of his 
2024 campaign for the White House and he promised to be aggressive in detaining 
and deporting people living in the United States without legal permission.

   DHS reports it has deported more than 675,000 migrants since Trump's return 
to office last year and claims some 2.2 million others have "self-deported" as 
the Republican president has made his immigration crackdown a priority.

   "President Trump is not going to back away from the mission, the mission 
that American people said they wanted him to complete, and that is securing our 
border and making sure that we actually do interior enforcement," Britt said.

   Homan was on CBS' "Face the Nation," Schumer and Mullin appeared on CNN's 
"State of the Union" and Britt was interviewed on "Fox News Sunday."