Bipartisan talks over curbing President Trump’s immigration crackdown remained stalemated in Congress on Tuesday, threatening a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security this weekend as time ran short for a deal.
Senate Democrats late Monday rejected as “incomplete and insufficient” a White House counteroffer to new rules they have insisted on governing the conduct of immigration officers as a condition of funding the department, which also oversees airport security, disaster relief and the U.S. Coast Guard. The conditions include unmasking those engaged in the immigration roundups and new requirements for warrants for searches and arrests.
“We need to see more from Republicans very soon,” Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, said on Tuesday.
Republicans said they were preparing a new legislative offer for Democrats. But Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota and the majority leader, was skeptical that any agreement could be finalized in time to avoid a shutdown after midnight on Friday.
“It’s being worked on, I think quickly,” Mr. Thune said about the Republican offer, “so hopefully there’ll be something out there soon, but I don’t know how we get around having to extend the deadline.”
Mr. Thune had warned that two weeks was too short to reach any deal on immigration enforcement, but Democrats pushed for a short time frame when they agreed to fund most of the government last week to guard against stalling by Republicans. And they have signaled they will not be willing to support another temporary measure if the G.O.P. fails to agree to restrictions on federal immigration agents.
Late in January, Democrats appeared ready to provide support for funding the government after a record-setting federal shutdown last fall. But after federal immigration officers killed Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, lawmakers in both parties demanded greater congressional oversight, and Democrats said they could not support continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security without new guardrails around the conduct of federal agents carrying out President Trump’s immigration crackdown.
They are now negotiating with the White House over what restrictions, if any, should be added, but the talks have made little headway.
Democrats submitted a proposal on Saturday with their demands, most of which Republicans have already rejected. On Monday, the White House sent its counterproposal, which Democratic leaders dismissed as lacking substance.
Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, told reporters on Tuesday that the Republican plan fell short in numerous areas that are Democratic priorities, including warrant requirements, restrictions on excessive force, limits on masks and new training.
“The White House is not serious at this moment in dramatically reforming ICE,” Mr. Jeffries said.
He suggested that the only concession the White House had offered was a vague commitment to have immigration agents outfitted with body cameras, a practice that the administration had already said it was expanding after the Pretti killing.
Republicans on Tuesday began trying to amp up the pressure on Democrats to provide support for a stopgap bill to fund the agency if no deal could be reached, warning of travel disruptions and increased vulnerability to cyberattacks and drug smuggling. The main target of Democrats, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, can continue operating under a huge influx of funds already provided by Republicans last year.
“Senate Democrats have a choice to make,” said Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the No. 2 Senate Republican. “Option one: Fund the Department of Homeland Security. Option two: Democrats can once again side with the radical left and force a shutdown of the vital services to the American people.”
Senate Democrats said they were united in insisting on restrictions on the immigration officers before they would support any new money for the Homeland Security Department, and did not expect their members to splinter and provide Republicans with votes for even temporary funding without those guarantees. They argued they had public support.
“The American people proudly support law enforcement,” Mr. Schumer said. “But most agree the status quo with ICE cannot continue. What ICE has been doing in Minneapolis and other cities is the antithesis of law enforcement — it’s intimidation, coercion, and puts people in danger.”
Members of Congress in both parties are planning to leave on Thursday for a security conference in Munich, generating pressure to reach some sort of compromise before then.
Michael Gold and Robert Jimison contributed reporting.
Carl Hulse is the chief Washington correspondent for The Times, primarily writing about Congress and national political races and issues. He has nearly four decades of experience reporting in the nation’s capital.
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