Deal coming to restrain U.S. immigration crackdown, end brief government shutdown: House speaker

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House Speaker Mike Johnson voiced confidence that Congress will agree on measures to restrain federal immigration enforcement after a national outcry over the killings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota.

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With the U.S. government in a partial shutdown since Saturday, House lawmakers are returning to Washington on Monday to pass a funding deal President Donald Trump worked out with Democrats last week.

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“Let’s say I’m confident that we’ll do it at least by Tuesday,” Johnson said on NBC’s Meet the Press, adding he expects to rely solely on Republican votes to pass the measure.

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Approval of the plan would fund the Homeland Security Department for two weeks to allow time for negotiations on the demands for changes. The rest of the government would be funded through Sept. 30.

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“There’s a lot of details in this,” Johnson told NBC. “We can get deep into the weeds and we will do that over the next two weeks. I think we’re on the path to get agreement and I really hope that everyone will come to the table.”

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As part of the House effort to move forward, the Rules Committee plans a vote on Monday afternoon for a measure that would put the spending deal up for final passage. The Senate approved the funding deal on Friday.

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The shutdown fight erupted after Alex Pretti was killed in a confrontation with Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis last month, which followed the shooting of Renee Good in early January. Democrats refused to renew DHS’ funding unless new restraints were placed on immigration enforcement.

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Negotiations on detailed measures may be contentious. Johnson signalled that demands for federal immigration agents to wear identification badges and not cover their faces would be red lines.

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“Those two things are conditions that would create further danger,” Johnson said on Fox News Sunday.

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Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer during last week’s meeting at the Oval Office that he wouldn’t be able to carry out those measures because they’d endanger agents’ safety, Johnson said.

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Johnson indicated Homan could agree to ending roving patrols by immigration agents and requiring they wear body cameras.

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House Democrats will meet Sunday afternoon to coordinate their stance, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC’s This Week.

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While likely to be short, the funding lapse is the second time Congress has failed to fund the government since Trump returned to office last year. A 43-day shutdown during the autumn was the longest and most disruptive ever, with food aid halted to millions of households, thousands of flights canceled and federal workers going without pay for more than a month.

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— With assistance from Erik Wasson and Wendy Benjaminson.

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