Trump says deal struck with Democrats to avoid government shutdown over ICE reforms
Donald Trump has announced a deal has been reached to avoid a Government shutdown in the US following threats made by the Democrats amid suggested reforms to ICE.
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The president revealed on Thursday night that an agreement had been struck in Washington in relation to funding for the Department of Homeland Security.
It comes after Senate Democrats threatened to block legalisation, which included funding for the Department and other agencies.
They had been pushing to remove funding for the department, which oversees ICE, from the $1.2tn government spending package.
Read more: New footage shows Alex Pretti clashing with federal agents 11 days before he was shot dead by ICE
Senior democratic senators appealed for Trump's administration to impose new restrictions on immigration enforcement policies - with the possibility of a partial Government shutdown enforced if they weren't not met.
Speaking during a cabinet meeting earlier on Thursday, Trump said the two parties wiould work in a "very bipartisan way" to come to a resolution.
But the new agreement reportedly includes advancing five spending bills and funding the department for two weeks as lawmakers negotiate changes to DHS and ICE, according to NCB News.
The meeting follows the announcement that Border Patrol agents involved in the shooting of Mr Pretti in Minneapolis were placed on administrative leave on Wednesday.
Trump said: "Hopefully we won't have a shutdown and we're working on that right now.
"I think we're getting close. The Democrats, I don't believe, want to see it either.
"So we'll work in a very bipartisan way, I believe, not to have a shutdown. We don't want a shutdown."
Among the demands made by the Democrats include that a uniform code of conduct is introduced on ICE officers.
They also want the agents in question to be able to take off their masks and identify themselves, and obtain judicial warrants showing probable cause for arrests.
Discussions between both parties are underway.
Following the death of Mr Pretti on Saturday, Trump reportedly agreed to reduce the number of federal agents in Minnesota following discussions with the State’s Governor Tim Walz.
Speaking from the White House on earlier this week, the president's press secretary said "nobody wants to see Americans dying in the streets."
However, Karoline Leavitt branded the reaction to Alex Pretti’s death as "selective outrage by the left-wing media".