Watch: The Senate reconvenes amid trade offers between Democrats and the White House on funding the Department of Homeland Security

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have begun tentative talks with the White House over their demands for “dramatic” new restrictions on President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration crackdown, discussing a potential deal just days before funding for the Department of Homeland Security expires.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that Democrats have sent the White House their list of demands for Immigration, Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies. The White House said Monday evening that it responded with a counterproposal.

He watches: How public opinion turning against ICE may impact the DHS funding showdown in Congress

Neither side has publicly released its specific proposals, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune said there was “progress forward.”

“Democrats and the White House are exchanging papers, which is a good sign,” Thune said as he left the Capitol. “I hope they can find common ground here, and I think both sides at this point are trying to do that.”

Time is running out, with another partial government shutdown threatened on Saturday. Among the Democrats’ demands are requiring judicial warrants, better identification for Department of Homeland Security officers, new standards for the use of force, and an end to racial profiling. They say such changes are necessary after two protesters were shot and killed by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.

“Republicans, the clock is ticking,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “We have sent you our proposals and they are very reasonable.”

However, despite the bipartisan talks, it was not clear whether the two sides would be able to reach an agreement on the fraught issue of immigration enforcement, especially since rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties were skeptical of finding common ground.

Republicans have rejected Democrats’ requests, and some have demands of their own, including adding legislation requiring proof of citizenship before Americans can register to vote, and imposing restrictions on cities they say are not doing enough to stamp out illegal immigration.

Many Democrats angry at ICE’s aggressive crackdown said they would not vote for another dime of Homeland Security funding until enforcement is radically scaled back.

“Substantial changes are needed at DHS before we move forward with a DHS funding bill,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Monday. “Period. Full stop.”

Trump deals with Democrats

Congress is trying to renegotiate the Department of Homeland Security spending bill after President Donald Trump agreed to a Democratic request to separate it from the larger spending measure that became law last week. This package extended DHS funding at current levels only through February 13, creating a short window for action while the two parties discuss new restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal employees.

The funding issue came to a head after ICU nurse Alex Pretty was shot and killed by a US Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis on January 24, and some Republicans suggested new restrictions were necessary. Renee Good was shot by ICE agents on January 7.

reconnaissance: Nearly two-thirds of Americans say ICE has gone too far in its crackdown on immigration

While he agreed to separate the funding, Trump has not publicly responded to Democrats’ specific demands.

White House press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said late last week that the Trump administration was willing to discuss some of the items on the Democrats’ list, but “others appear not to be based on any common sense, and they are not appropriate for this administration.”

Democratic demands

Schumer and Jeffries said they want immigration officers to remove their masks, show identification and better coordinate with local authorities. They also called for a stricter use-of-force policy for federal officers, legal safeguards in detention centers and a ban on tracking protesters with body cameras.

Democrats say Congress should end random arrests, “improve arrest warrant procedures and standards,” make sure the law is clear so officers cannot enter private property without a warrant, and require verification that a person is not a U.S. citizen before detaining someone.

Read more: Democrats demand ‘radical changes’ at ICE on masks, cameras and court orders

Republicans said they support requiring DHS officers to have body cameras — language that was in the original DHS bill — but rejected several other Democratic demands.

“Removing masks from ICE officers and agents, the reason we can’t do that is because that would put them at great risk, their families at great risk because people are attacking them and targeting them,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Monday. “We have to talk about things that are sensible and achievable.”

Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty said on Fox News Sunday that Democrats are “trying to galvanize a far-left base.”

“The left has gone to extremes, and they threaten the safety and security of our agents, so they can’t do their jobs,” Hagerty said.

Consequences of closure

In addition to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Protection, the Homeland Security bill includes funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. Thune said last week that if the Department of Homeland Security shuts down, “there’s a very good chance we’ll see more travel issues” similar to the 43-day government shutdown last year.

Lawmakers in both parties have suggested they could defund ICE and Border Patrol and pass the rest by Friday. But Thune was cool about that idea, saying instead that Congress should pass another short-term extension for all of DHS while potential new restrictions are negotiated.

“If additional time is needed, we hope Democrats will be amenable to another extension,” Thune said.

Many Democrats are unlikely to vote for another extension. But Republicans would likely win enough votes in both chambers from Democrats if they felt hopeful about negotiations.

“The ball is in the Republicans’ court,” Jeffries said Monday.

Associated Press writers Joy Cappelletti and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.