US President Donald Trump says he has struck a deal with Congressional Democrats to temporarily fund the Department of Homeland Security, heading off a political brawl that seemed inevitable after the Senate voted down the latest package of government spending bills.
Under the deal, Democrats would vote to fund DHS for two weeks while they negotiate new restrictions on the president's immigration enforcement surge, which has left the country reeling following the deaths of two protesters at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis.
The two sides have agreed to separate DHS funding from the rest of the spending bills, allowing them to pass with the support of senators who pledged to oppose long-term homeland security funding while the surge continued.
However, a short-term federal government shutdown still appears likely, with any newly agreed to measures passed by the Senate needing to be re-voted on by the House of Representatives before they can be signed into law.
The House is in recess until Monday, meaning representatives would need to be recalled to Congress to vote on the measure before midnight on Friday, local time (4pm Saturday, AEDT) to avert a partial shutdown.
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson had earlier indicated he was "vehemently opposed" to separating DHS funding from the rest of the spending package, but said that if that did occur, "we will have to move it as quickly as possible".
However, when asked at an event on Thursday evening whether a shutdown could now be avoided, he replied: "At this moment, I'm not that confident, to be honest."
Democrats are demanding a number of concessions from the White House on immigration, including that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents end roving patrols in US cities, and that agents are mandated to stop wearing masks and start wearing body cameras.
Trump undercuts border tsar's drawdown plan
Earlier, Mr Trump's border tsar, Tom Homan, said he was working on a plan to pull federal agents out of Minnesota as part of a major strategy shift by the White House, telling reporters in Minneapolis that "we can do better".
But his "drawdown plan" for the city — contingent on local authorities allowing agents into jails so they could seize and deport unauthorised migrants — appeared to be quickly undercut by the president, who replied "No, no. Not at all," when asked if he was indeed pulling back enforcement agents from Minnesota.
It's uncertain if Mr Trump fully understood the question that was being posed to him.
Mr Homan — who has worked for every president since Ronald Reagan except Joe Biden — has a long-standing stated preference for targeted deportation efforts focused on people with criminal histories.
It puts him at odds with other White House officials who favour more random checks in public places and raids on sites, including workplaces. But some rights groups say there is little difference between Mr Homan and officials who advocate for more aggressive tactics, apart from their public messaging.
"What we've been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book," Mr Homan said, before the president's comments.
"President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognised that certain improvements could and should be made. That's exactly what I'm doing here."
Days of violent scenes in Minneapolis, in particular the deaths of "ICE observers" Renee Good and Alex Pretti, have fuelled intensifying public pressure for a change in approach there.
It prompted Mr Trump to remove controversial Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino from the operation and put Mr Homan in charge.
He twice said he was not "coming here looking for photo ops or headlines". The comment was interpreted by some as a swipe at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose photo shoots in ICE uniforms, at border operations and with caged prisoners have frequently been mocked by critics, who have branded her "Cosplay Kristi" and "ICE Barbie".
"I'm not here because the federal government has carried this mission out perfectly," Mr Homan said.
But he insisted "great progress" had been made in talks with local authorities since his arrival several days ago, which he hoped would result in immigration agents being given more access to local jails and prisons.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration accused Minnesota's leaders of protecting 1,360 "violent criminals" who were in state custody by refusing to allow their transfer to ICE. Local leaders say it is a phoney argument.
Minnesota's corrections commissioner told local media only about 300 people in the state's jails and prisons were subject to ICE requests for transfer.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently said he told Mr Trump that the president's "staff doesn't have their facts straight". In a newspaper column, he said the state's corrections department always offered to transfer unauthorised migrants to ICE custody before their release.
Mayor Jacob Frey — who Mr Trump warned would be "playing with fire" if he did not cooperate with federal efforts — said he would meet members of Congress in Washington on Thursday, local time, and continue to push for an end to the crackdown in Minneapolis.
ABC/wires
