WASHINGTON: The Department of Homeland Security entered a partial shutdown Saturday as US lawmakers fight over funding the agency overseeing much of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Thousands of government workers, from airport security agents to disaster relief officials, will either be furloughed or forced to work without pay until funding is agreed upon by Congress. At the center of the budget dispute is the department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose agents killed two US citizens amid sweeping raids and mass protests in Minneapolis.

“Americans are crystal clear on how they feel about ICE – the status quo cannot continue,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday.

The Senate on Thursday failed to advance a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security amid scrutiny of ICE and CBP tactics.