The U.S. is facing another government shutdown—just two and a half months after the previous one, which was the longest in history.
After midnight, funding for the federal government was once again partially suspended.
The shutdown began after Democrats refused to extend funding for immigration enforcement agency ICE, following the killings of two U.S. citizens by its officers (on January 7 and January 24) and the nationwide protests that followed.
(The people who were shot, Rene Good and Alex Pretti, had not been convicted of any crimes. Good was raising three children. Pretti worked as an ICU medic at a veterans’ hospital. Both were 37 years old. Both were white Americans.)
This time, there are two key differences compared to the previous shutdown.
The current shutdown is expected to be short-lived—only until Monday.
Unlike last time, Trump will apparently have to strike a deal with Democrats amid protests and pressure from lawmakers in both parties.
The deal looks like this: Republicans and Democrats agree to extend government funding through the end of the fiscal year, while funding for ICE would be extended for two weeks.
During those two weeks, lawmakers would need to agree on ICE reform. Democrats want to ban immigration agents from wearing masks and disabling cameras, and generally introduce additional oversight and accountability measures for abuses of power.
Accordingly, if the White House refuses the deal, Democrats could simply decline to renew funding for the agency, meaning the leverage remains in their hands.
However, Republicans have also sharply criticized ICE, so the reform could receive bipartisan support.
