A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security is stalling out again in Congress. Republicans invoked the war in Iran and the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they tried Thursday to pass a bill funding the department. But Democrats blocked the legislation as they insist on changes to immigration enforcement operations. While the House will also take up the bill later Thursday, the vote will be more about putting lawmakers on the record again about where they stand. In the end, a bipartisan compromise will have to be reached to end a DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended her agency in testimony and under questioning at a Senate hearing. She appeared before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as a backlash grows over deadly immigration enforcement actions tied to President Donald Trump's deportation push. It was her first congressional hearing since two protesters were killed in Minneapolis by Homeland Security officers in January. Noem's department sent hundreds of officers to Minnesota. Protesters marched and tracked enforcement activity. An ICE officer shot Renee Good. Border Protection officers shot Alex Pretti. The deaths led to demands for accountability. At the hearing, Noem blamed "violent protesters" for contributing to the chaos officers encountered.

The Trump administration has issued a sweeping new order that could lead to the arrest of tens of thousands of refugees who are lawfully in the United States but do not yet have permanent residency. A memo filed by the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Thursday federal court hearing in Minnesota says refugees applying for green cards must return to federal custody one year after they were admitted to the U.S. for reviews of their applications. DHS "may maintain custody for the duration of the inspection and examination process," said the memo, which was filed Wednesday.

Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire Saturday as lawmakers debate new restrictions on President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. The White House has been negotiating with the Democrats, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the deadline. Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures will be narrowly confined, as only agencies that are part of Homeland Security will be affected. Still some federal workers could begin to miss paychecks and services like airport screening could be affected if the shutdown drags on for weeks.

The Trump administration is scaling back its immigration enforcement surge in and around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, but state officials and residents say its effects on Minnesota's economy and immigrant communities will linger. Border czar Tom Homan says better coordination with state and local officials has allowed the operation to wind down. The surge was increasingly scrutinized after federal officers killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Homan says targeted enforcement will continue with fewer agents. People who attended a vigil Thursday at the site of Good's killing expressed continued distrust in the federal government, and some said they fear the crackdown will simply move elsewhere.

A new AP-NORC poll finds that about 6 in 10 U.S. adults believe that President Donald Trump has "gone too far" in sending federal immigration agents into U.S. cities. The survey also shows that the Republican Party's political advantage on Trump's signature domestic issue has shrunk since October. The new polling comes as the nation watches the human impact of Trump's immigration crackdown in Minnesota, where thousands of heavily armed masked agents have descended upon the capital city. About 9 in 10 Democrats and about 7 in 10 independents say Trump has "gone too far" in sending federal immigration agents into U.S. cities, compared to only about one-quarter of Republicans.