Item 1 of 3 U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to members of the media after the weekly Senate Democratic caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
[1/3]U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to members of the media after the weekly Senate Democratic caucus policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 28, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
Jan 28 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump and top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer moved on Wednesday night to reach an agreement to negotiate new restrictions on federal immigration agents, potentially averting a government shutdown, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing officials familiar with the matter.
Under the plan, the Senate would carve out legislation funding the Department of Homeland Security from a six-bill package of spending measures required to fund the military, health programs and other federal agencies through the rest of the fiscal year, the Times said.
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A source familiar with ongoing discussions told Reuters that Schumer and Senate Democrats demanded the separation to negotiate “new legislation that protects people from abuses and reins in ICE,” and that any stopgap funding bill must be “very short term.”
“No agreement has been reached. Discussions are ongoing and moving in Democrats’ direction,” the source said.
The White House did not respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The Senate would pass the bills before a Friday midnight deadline, and Congress would also consider a short-term extension of homeland security operations to avoid service gaps at the Transportation Security Agency, Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, NYT added.
The report comes after the Senate Democrats called for new restrictions on immigration agents earlier in the day, paving the way for a partial U.S. government shutdown this weekend.
Democrats have said that they will not agree to extend DHS funding through September without new limits on Trump’s immigration crackdown.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents have come under widespread criticism after agents killed a second U.S. citizen in Minneapolis last Saturday during immigration enforcement operations.
According to the New York Times report, the stopgap bill would provide time for talks to draft a new homeland security spending bill that would include new restrictions on the tactics of immigration enforcement officers.
Senate minority leader Schumer said earlier that DHS agents including ICE must stop wearing face masks, use body cameras, and follow the same use-of-force rules as local poli
Reporting by Ananya Palyekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Christopher Cushing, Michael Perry and Chizu Nomiyama
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