WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Homeland Security ran out of funding on February 14 after Congress failed to reach an agreement on the agency's immigration-enforcement operations. The funding lapse triggered a partial government shutdown that affected agencies including the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration.

The shutdown followed a series of budget disputes. A federal government shutdown in the fall had lasted 43 days. Congress then approved a funding deal that covered most federal agencies through the end of January, but Senate Democrats refused to fund DHS without legal checks on its operations. That dispute led to a second shutdown lasting two days, after which Congress passed a temporary funding package covering the bulk of the government and DHS for an additional two weeks to allow further negotiations.

Those negotiations, which centered on immigration-enforcement measures including barring agents from wearing masks and ending warrantless sweeps of private residences, did not conclude before the February 14 deadline. With the temporary funding expired, DHS operations entered a partial shutdown.

Senators from both parties agreed to a compromise measure that would fund DHS except for its immigration-enforcement components. Republicans planned to fund those components through a separate budgetary process that bypasses the filibuster and does not require Democratic support. The provisional funding agreement did not include legal reforms on immigration enforcement. The Senate passed legislation funding the non-immigration portions of DHS on a Thursday.

The House of Representatives, where the Republican Party holds a narrow majority, rejected the Senate's compromise. Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed the Senate's funding measure as a "crap sandwich" and a "joke." Johnson later agreed to the Senate's initial plan to fund DHS excluding its immigration-enforcement functions. However, the House did not act on the Senate's DHS funding legislation.

As the shutdown continued, unpaid TSA agents called in sick in large numbers, resulting in long lines at airports. President Donald Trump signed an order to pay TSA employees during the shutdown. Trump said he would also sign an order to pay all unpaid DHS employees, not just those at TSA. Some members of Congress left Washington, D.C., during the shutdown.

By mid-March, the ongoing shutdown surpassed the previous record to become the longest in U.S. history. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said, "Senate Democrats never wavered." Schumer added, "We were clear from the start: Fund critical security, protect Americans, and no blank check for reckless ICE and border patrol enforcement."

Trump said he wanted the immigration-enforcement funding bill on his desk by June 1. Immigration officials announced a drawdown of operations in Minnesota since January.