Government Shuts Down Amid Immigration Enforcement Debate; Journalists Arrested Covering Protests
Washington D.C. - The federal government entered a partial shutdown early Friday morning after Congress failed to pass a spending bill before the deadline, while protests erupted across the country over the Trump Administration's immigration policies. The shutdown, which lawmakers from both parties expect to be brief, coincided with the arrests of two journalists covering an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota, and a stunning Democratic victory in a reliably Republican Texas state Senate district.
The government shutdown occurred despite the Senate's move to pass a bipartisan spending package that would fund most of the government through the end of the fiscal year and allow two more weeks to negotiate new limits on the Administration's immigration enforcement tactics, according to Time. With the House out of session until Monday, there was no way to send the bill to President Trump before the deadline, making a short shutdown unavoidable.
Meanwhile, protests against the Administration's immigration crackdown took place in cities across the U.S. on Friday, Time reported. The demonstrations followed the killings of two people by federal agents amid an aggressive enforcement operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Organizers called for a national shutdown day of "no school, work, or shopping," and tens of thousands of demonstrators were expected to take to the streets from Los Angeles to New York.
Amidst the protests, independent journalists Don Lemon, a former CNN anchor, and Georgia Fort, a Minnesota reporter, were arrested while covering an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota, according to NPR News. They were later released from federal custody on Friday, following criticism from human rights advocates and journalism organizations. Lemon and Fort vowed to continue reporting, NPR News reported. A federal grand jury in Minnesota indicted Fort and Lemon on charges related to the incident.
In Texas, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won a special election for the state Senate on Saturday, flipping a reliably Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 17 points in 2024, according to NPR News. Rehmet, a labor union leader and veteran, defeated Republican Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist, in the Fort Worth-area district. "This win goes to everyday working people," Rehmet told supporters, according to NPR News. Rehmet had a comfortable lead of more than 14 percentage points with almost all votes counted.
The House will now have to decide whether to swiftly ratify the Senate plan or reopen a deeper fight over spending and immigration policy. The short-term impact of the shutdown is expected to be minimal, but a prolonged impasse could have significant consequences for government services and the economy.
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