Tracy Mumford

Democrats, however, are calling for the Senate to split off funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, so they can vote on that separately and negotiate for restrictions on agents' behavior.

The Times has learned that as of last night, Schumer and President Trump seem to be moving toward a possible agreement, though officials with knowledge of their discussion said a lot of hurdles remained.

There's expected to be a test vote on the spending package, with DHS funding still included in the Senate this morning.

Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the Trump administration's facing growing pushback from the courts over its aggressive immigration enforcement operations.

The chief federal judge there lambasted ICE yesterday, saying the agency had violated nearly 100 court orders and had disobeyed more judicial directives this month alone than some federal agencies had in their entire existence.

That included things like ignoring court orders to let ICE detainees challenge their detention or be released.

After attaching a rundown of the orders he said ICE failed to follow, the judge wrote, This list should give pause to anyone, no matter his or her political beliefs, who cares about the rule of law.

And another federal judge ordered agents in the state to stop detaining and deporting refugees.

Agents have swept up at least 100 people so far, even though they'd already been carefully vetted.

Some of them were shackled, flown to Texas and held for days, then released with no way to get back home.

The judge wrote that people with refugee status have a legal right to live peacefully in the U.S.

Now, three other quick updates on the administration.

President Trump has sharply intensified his threats against Iran, saying the U.S.

could attack soon with, quote, speed and violence if the country doesn't agree to a set of demands.

Trump didn't outline what those demands are, but the U.S.

has been pushing for Iran to wind down its nuclear program and stop supporting proxy groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, among other things.

The threat comes as the U.S.

Navy has moved ships, including an aircraft carrier, into striking distance of Iran.

And Trump explicitly compared the buildup of forces to what he ordered near Venezuela before U.S.

troops captured its president.