In Washington, the Senate is engaged in discussions to resolve the ongoing impasse over the Homeland Security budget. The proposed solution involves funding the majority of the department, including the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), whose airport staff have been unpaid, while excluding funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) enforcement and removal operations, which have been a focal point of disagreement.
The potential breakthrough emerged after a group of Republican senators met with President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday evening. The senators anticipated that negotiators would labor through the night to finalize the specifics, with the intention of presenting written proposals for both parties to review during their respective weekly caucus lunches on Tuesday.
“All I can say is that the discussions have been very positive and productive, and hopefully headed in the right direction,” remarked Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota.
Echoing the sentiment of progress, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer addressed reporters late into the evening, stating, “Both sides are working in a serious way.”
This unexpected development in the month-long deadlock comes amidst chaos at U.S. airports, where long lines have become the norm due to the suspension of routine Homeland Security funding, leaving the TSA understaffed during the busy spring travel season. Democrats are holding firm in their refusal to approve Homeland Security funding without imposing limits on President Trump’s immigration enforcement policies and mass deportation efforts, a stance intensified by the recent deaths of two U.S. citizens during ICE protests in Minneapolis.
In a dramatic move over the weekend, Trump directed ICE officers to take over airport security duties, a decision that has stirred concern among some lawmakers, fearing it might heighten tensions further.
The contours of the deal under consideration would fund most of Homeland Security, but exclude funding for one main part of ICE – the enforcement and removal operations that are core to Trump’s deportation agenda.
Under the package being floated, ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations would be funded as well as Customs and Border Protection, but with new guardrails to position officers from those divisions in their traditional roles, rather than as they have been used more recently in immigration roundups in cities. It would also include a number of changes in immigration operations that Democrats have demanded, including mandating that officers wear body cameras and identification.
Since so much of ICE is already funded through Trump’s big tax breaks bill, and immigration officers are still receiving paychecks during the partial government shutdown, senators said the new restraints would also be imposed on operations that rely on that funding source, as well.
“I’m going to be working through the night,” said Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, a chief negotiator who returned from the White House meeting hopeful they had a solution to “land this plane.”
“We’re going to be working diligently,” she said.
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who was not part of the group at the White House, said his understanding was that there was a “sense of urgency” coming from the talks.
Coons described various choices before the senators at this point – from no money at all for ICE but also no restraints on the agency operations, to fully funding ICE but with more of the restraints Democrats have demanded, to a middle option of funding most of DHS excluding ICE’s enforcement and removal operations. That middle option is what he and other senators understood was broadly on the table after the White House talks.
“First step is to get the proposal in writing,” said Sen. Angus King, the Independent from Maine. “I want to see exactly what that means.”
Senators late Monday also confirmed Markwayne Mullin as Homeland Security secretary. He takes over for Kristi Noem, who led the department’s immigration enforcement operations that erupted with the public outcry and the funding standoff.
Mullin provides a potentially new face for the immigration operation. During his confirmation hearing last week, Mullin touched on another key demand Democrats want – ensuring a judge has signed off on warrants that immigration officers use to search people’s homes, rather than simply relying on administrative warrants issued by the department.
“This is significant,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said about the progress toward changes. “Noem is gone. That’s a big deal.”
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said he was hopeful senators could work things out. “Look, there’s a lot of different variables in the equations,” he said. “I’m hopeful we’ll get there.”
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