The US government faces the risk of another partial shutdown as the weekend draws to a close, amid ongoing disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over potential reforms to immigration enforcement practices enacted by President Donald Trump's administration.
This development comes after a previous partial shutdown that lasted from January 31 to February 3, and ended after the two parties reached a temporary spending package that provided two weeks of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
This temporary funding is set to expire at the end of the week, meaning that funding for the Department of Homeland Security could cease as early as Saturday if a new agreement is not reached.
Negotiations remain stalled, with no tangible progress made on disagreements over Immigration and Customs Enforcement practices, increasing the likelihood of the government entering another partial shutdown.