Partial government shutdown hits DHS after Dems blast over immigration

The third government shutdown in less than half a year officially began just after midnight Saturday after Democrats and Republicans spent recent weeks fighting over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Just one area of ​​government has been left without federal funding since midnight – the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Congress has completed nearly 97% of its annual federal spending bill, but a DHS deal appeared elusive after Democrats walked away from the first bipartisan plan released last month.

Now DHS, the third-largest Cabinet agency with nearly 272,000 employees, will see critical areas of work scaled back or suspended entirely. About 90% of DHS employees will continue to work during the shutdown, many without pay, according to the federal shutdown plan of September 2025.

Established in 2003 after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, DHS has jurisdiction over a wide variety of agencies and offices. That includes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), US Coast Guard, and US Secret Service, among others.

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Among those working without pay will be 64,000 TSA agents and 56,000 active, reserve, and Coast Guard personnel. Those people and others are expected to receive payment once the shutdown is over.

But as of Friday afternoon, it did not appear that the two parties were close to a deal despite the Trump White House posting a potential compromise offer Wednesday night.

“It’s something we expect to respond to a ridiculous request made by Republicans that clearly leaves out things that need to happen,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., during a press conference.

“There are a variety of different areas where the administration has clearly failed to do things that make things better for the American people. Until that happens, unfortunately, it appears that Donald Trump and the Republicans have decided to shut down some parts of the Department of Homeland Security.”

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Democrats sparked a bipartisan debate over DHS funding last month after law enforcement killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during anti-ICE protests there.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on November 3, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Now they are seeking significant reforms to restore ICE and CBP, which most Republicans in Congress have long denounced as non-starters, including barring ICE agents from wearing masks and requiring them to obtain judicial warrants before pursuing suspected illegal immigrants.

What will happen next will be for Senate Democrats and the White House, who are expected to continue negotiating over the weekend and next week if necessary.

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Both sides traded proposals and legislative text on a compromise DHS funding bill, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., and his caucus remained steadfast in their position that the GOP’s offer did not go far enough.

Meanwhile, most House and Senate lawmakers left Washington on Thursday and are not expected to return until February 23.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., said he would give lawmakers 24 hours notice to return to Washington, DC, should there be any success, and remains optimistic there is a way forward despite the Democrats’ obstruction.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., turns to an aide during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, June 3, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

“All the iterations of this approach, because I think the White House is giving us a lot of reasons for these important issues,” Thune said. “But so far, they’re not getting any kind of response from the Democrats, until they let us continue this, let us [the] government to stay open.”

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But Democrats have repeatedly said they believe their demands are simple.

“And, the only thing that’s being asked is that ICE follow the same principles and policies of every other police force in the country, and if we can get there, we can solve the problem,” said Sen. Angus King, Maine.

Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., gave lawmakers his blessing to leave Washington with 48 hours notice to return pending Senate action, two sources told Fox News Digital.