The White House and congressional Democrats are still “far apart” on an agreement to implement immigration reforms as part of a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security for the remainder of the fiscal year, both parties say.
Democratic leaders sent their latest proposal to the White House over the weekend in response to the administration’s counteroffer last week. Details of the negotiations have not been made public, but leaders in both parties have indicated they are still far from a deal — with each placing the blame on the other for the partial government shutdown that took effect early Saturday.
“In terms of the written offer that was transmitted from the Democrats, the parties are still pretty far apart,” a White House official told the Deseret News. “The Administration remains interested in good faith conversations to end the Democrat shutdown before more Americans feel the impacts. But the Administration also remains committed to carrying out the President’s promise to enforce federal immigration law.”
Talks have so far been slow. In fact, both the House and Senate remained out of session this week despite the closure of DHS as lawmakers embarked on international trips and participated in campaign events.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., spoke from the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to declare that he is “ready, willing and able to sit down with any of my Republican colleagues, anytime or any place, in order to bring about a resolution.”
But the New York Democrat blamed his Republican colleagues in Congress and in the White House for failing to act swiftly to end the shutdown.
“We’ve not seen any high level effort coming from the president or from the House or Senate Republican leaders,” Jeffries said on Wednesday. “We have no idea where they’re at in the midst of a crisis of their own making.”
Senate Majority John Thune, R-S.D., indicated last week there have been a handful of concessions made by the White House in terms of policy demands, but there remain some sticking points that Democrats say must be made in order to finalize a deal.
Among those are judicial warrants, a key demand from Democrats to prevent unlawful arrests or deportations — but has been deemed a nonstarter for Republicans.
“House and Senate Democrats remain steadfast in our views as to the type of things that have to happen in order for (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to be dramatically reformed, which include mandating judicial warrants before ICE agents can storm private property or rip everyday Americans or law-abiding immigrant families from their homes,” Jeffries said.
Democrats have demanded a number of other changes including, among other things, mandatory body cameras, no masks, ensuring the right to sue, requiring identification for officers, prohibiting racial profiling as a justification to conduct enforcement, and prohibiting ICE agents from detaining or deporting U.S. citizens.
Although Thune said the White House has “moved a good long way from when they started,” Democrats have rejected their counteroffers so far by calling them “insufficient.”
It’s not clear how long the partial shutdown will last as its effects will be mostly mitigated, unlike the other two shutdowns that have already taken place over the last six months.
One of the most crucial agencies covered by DHS funding is the Transportation Security Administration, which oversees safety and logistical operations at U.S. airports.
Most employees in the agency are deemed essential and must still work throughout the shutdown without pay. Depending on how long the shutdown lasts, that work puts an unusual strain on airport workers and can lead to employees calling out of their shifts due to fatigue, burnout or illness.
Another major department funded under DHS funding is the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for disaster preparedness, response and recovery nationwide.
Like TSA, employees for FEMA are also considered essential — so many will continue working without pay for as long as the shutdown lasts. That could lead to slower response times and disrupt coordination between state and local agencies if administrative staffs are reduced.