Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., on Thursday called "unrealistic" new restrictions demanded by Democrats on federal immigration enforcement officers and warned the Department of Homeland Security could shut down next week if they do not work with Republicans and the White House.

Democrats have said they will not vote for a Homeland Security spending bill until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal law enforcement agencies undergo "dramatic changes," threatening to cut off funding as of last month following the shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Wednesday night unveiled an expanded list of 10 detailed proposals to curb President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies.

Demands include mandatory judicial warrants, enhanced identification of Homeland Security agents, new use-of-force standards and an end to racial profiling.

Congress is trying to renegotiate after agreeing last week to try to separate Homeland Security funding from a larger spending bill and extend current levels for two weeks while both parties negotiate, after Trump acceded to Democratic requests.

That agreement came after Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, in Minneapolis on Jan. 24, and some Republicans also agreed that new restrictions were needed.

But nearly a week later, a government shutdown starting Feb. 14 appears increasingly likely as Republicans have been cool to most of the Democrats' demands.

"This is not a situation where Republicans are going to write a blank check and agree to the Democrats' list of demands," Thune said. "The only way to achieve ICE reform is to reach an agreement on a bill."

"We are nowhere near any agreement at this point," Thune said.

The problem is that the bill includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security in its entirety, including not only ICE and Customs and Border Protection, but also the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration.

Thune said that if Homeland Security shuts down, "you're very likely to have more travel disruptions, similar to the 43-day shutdown we saw last year."

Schumer said he was "stunned" to hear Republicans describe his party's proposals as political or unworkable, saying, "This is about people's basic rights. This is about people's safety."

Schumer and Jeffries offered a number of demands, including that officers wear masks, that judicial warrants be required, and that there be better cooperation between federal and local authorities.

The list they released Wednesday added several new items, including a more stringent use-of-force policy, legal safeguards at detention facilities, and a ban on tracking protesters with body cameras.

Democrats argue that Congress should end "indiscriminate arrests," "improve warrant procedures and criteria" and clarify that officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant, and that the federal government must verify that someone is not a U.S. citizen before detaining them.

They also call for an end to racial profiling, and argue that Homeland Security agents should be prohibited from stopping, questioning or searching people based on "the fact that an individual is in a particular place, their occupation, the language and accent they use, or their race and ethnicity."

They also call for an end to racial profiling, and argue that Homeland Security agents should be prohibited from stopping, questioning or searching people based on "the fact that an individual is in a particular place, their occupation, the language and accent they use, or their race and ethnicity."

Democrats argue that immigration enforcement officers should remove their masks and show identification, and that Homeland Security should regulate and standardize their uniforms and equipment, just as other law enforcement agencies do.

But Republicans have dismissed them.

Senate Minority Leader John Barrasso, R-Wyo., called the demands "radical and extreme" and "a wish list of the far left."

Some lawmakers are discussing a partial shutdown that would fund other agencies under Homeland Security — the Coast Guard, airport operations at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and disaster relief from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) — the Associated Press reported.

"If they can't get it done, I think we should explore the possibility of funding each agency individually that needs funding," said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., regarding immigration enforcement reform.

While some Democrats agreed, Thune criticized splitting up the Homeland Security bill and funding ICE separately, saying Thursday, "that's cutting off funding for law enforcement."

Splitting up the bill would effectively cripple ICE, which could operate without regular federal funding because it already secured significant funding from Trump's tax cut and spending cuts bill last year.

ICE expects to receive about $10 billion from annual appropriations, a small fraction of the more than $175 billion allocated to Homeland Security for the administration's mass deportation initiatives, AP added.

By NNP=Hong Seong-gu, Chief Reporter / Special Correspondent NNP info@newsandpost.com