UPDATE 5-Trump, Senate Democrats seek deal to avert US government shutdown

Democrats in the U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump ‌were making progress in talks aimed at ensuring that a dispute over immigration enforcement does not lead to a partial government shutdown, sources familiar ⁠with the talks said on Thursday.

Democrats in the U.S. Senate and President Donald Trump ‌were making progress in talks aimed at ensuring that a dispute over immigration enforcement does not lead to a partial government shutdown, sources familiar ⁠with the talks said on Thursday. “There have been very constructive discussions and conversations I've been part of, and so let's just say I'm hopeful," Senate Republican Leader John Thune told reporters.

The White House did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment. Angered by the shooting of a second U.S. citizen ‍by immigration agents in Minneapolis last weekend, Senate Democrats are demanding new restrictions on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including an end to roving patrols, a ban on face masks, and a requirement to wear body cameras.

Democrats have threatened ⁠to block ‌funding legislation for ICE and ⁠several other federal agencies, which could trigger a partial shutdown when funding expires at midnight Friday. Democrats are pushing to ‍carve out funding for ICE's parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, from the broader spending package, which ​would enable the Senate to ensure funding is not disrupted for the Pentagon, health programs, ⁠and other government operations.

Though no agreement has been reached, talks were moving in that direction, two sources said. Democrats also are seeking ⁠a temporary spending extension for DHS to buy more time for negotiations.

The Senate is expected to soon hold a preliminary vote on the broader spending package. The shooting, the second such incident ⁠in Minneapolis this month, has spurred widespread outrage, prompting Trump's administration to de-escalate operations in the region. Immigration ⁠agents in Minnesota ‌were directed on Wednesday to avoid engaging with "agitators", according to internal guidance seen by Reuters.