Senate Agrees To Government Funding Deal While ICE Talks ContinueThe U.S. Senate reached a bipartisan deal Thursday to extend funding for the Homeland Security Department for two weeks while negotiations continue over reforms to the conduct and practices of federal immigration agents that have sparked widespread outcry in Minnesota and elsewhere around the country.The agreement also clears the way for the passage of five other appropriations bills, avoiding another prolonged partial government shutdown. Democrats threatened to block funding for the government ahead of Friday's deadline if Congress didn't rein in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency by putting in a requirement that its agents wear body cameras and take off their masks. They are also seeking to end roving immigration patrols, institute a universal code of conduct, and tighten the rules governing the use of warrants for entering homes. They didn't get that this week. Republicans say they are open to some of the Democrats' demands, but the two sides likely would not have enough time to reach a broader agreement on ICE conduct before much of the government shut down on Friday. However, a temporary lapse in funding may still not be avoided because another vote would be required to pass the agreement in the House, which is in recess until Monday. Even if parts of the government shut down on Friday, the effects wouldn't be felt as widely, since many federal workers don't work on the weekend.Democrats vowed to keep pushing to rein in ICE as long as needed, pointing to another funding deadline for DHS in two weeks as leverage over Republicans. "ICE is killing people in cold blood, shooting them in the back," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told HuffPost. "And the sense of outrage and repugnance, I think, has powered and fueled our momentum to win here at least a good deal of what we are seeking, which is reforming and restraining the agency."See All UpdatesClose