Negotiations on a spending accord needed to avert a government shutdown Friday have nearly collapsed, and Republicans say it’s because House Democrats are pushing for new limits on how many illegal immigrants agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement can detain this fiscal year, including violent felons.
“Currently there is no cap,” a senior Republican aide close to the negotiations told the Washington Examiner. “They want to put in a cap and have criminals count against it so the number gets smaller and smaller.”
The impasse threatens to end any chance of a deal that can be passed in time by both the House and Senate
“We would have to have something ready by tomorrow and at this point we won’t be ready,” a second GOP aide said.
A senior Democratic aide disputed the Republican position and said the vast majority of detainees are not felons. “What we are doing is trying to have a limit on the number of [detention] beds,” the Democratic aide told the Washington Examiner. “That’s about ensuring that the administration is prioritizing the deportation of violent criminals.”
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., told “Fox News Sunday” the talks had stalled over Democrats demanding caps on ICE detentions. In order to detain illegal immigrants there must be a bed for them, and a cap on beds would limit the number of detentions. – READ MORE