Minneapolis deportation-operation shootings scramble immigration talks and push Washington toward a shutdown

WASHINGTON — The shooting deaths of two American citizens during federal deportation operations in Minneapolis are rapidly changing the political math in Congress, putting immigration enforcement and government funding on a collision course as lawmakers race to avert a partial shutdown by midnight Friday, January 30, 2026.

The incidents have triggered a wave of bipartisan anger, but the pressure is landing most heavily on negotiations over a six-bill funding package that covers more than 70% of federal operations. Democrats are increasingly insisting that any deal must also curb how immigration enforcement is being carried out — a demand the White House and many Republicans are resisting.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, urged lawmakers to keep the spending agreement intact to avoid what she called a “detrimental shutdown,” while acknowledging that the death of Alex Pretti has forced new scrutiny onto the Homeland Security funding bill.

White House sends Tom Homan as temperature rises

The Trump administration has signaled that its own approach may be shifting in response to the backlash. The White House dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis to take over local oversight from Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino, a move some Republicans described as a chance to stabilize the situation and reduce tensions on the ground.

At the same time, the White House has been reaching out to congressional leaders — and, in some cases, individual Democratic senators — searching for a pathway to pass the broader funding package without rewriting immigration operations in ways the administration opposes.

A sharp turn from a year ago

The debate underscores a political reversal from early in Trump’s second term, when Congress passed the Laken Riley Act with significant Democratic support. Now, lawmakers are confronting public backlash tied to high-visibility enforcement actions, protests, and questions about accountability — all while the funding deadline approaches.

An AP-NORC poll conducted in January found 38% of U.S. adults approving of Trump’s handling of immigration, down from 49% in March. With both parties showing internal divisions — and shutdown politics looming again — negotiators are trying to reconcile demands for oversight with the administration’s insistence that the spending package move forward without major changes.