The federal government has entered its third partial shutdown of the last half-year after Congress failed to reach an agreement on all 12 of its annual spending bills.

Unlike past shutdowns, however, this one just affects the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It comes after Democrats walked away from a bipartisan deal to fund the department amid uproar over President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

And while some 97% of the federal government has been funded at this point, a DHS shutdown will still have effects on everyday Americans — effects that will become more apparent the longer the standoff continues.

DHS SHUTDOWN EXPLAINED: WHO WORKS WITHOUT PAY, WHAT HAPPENS TO AIRPORTS AND DISASTER RESPONSE

Air travel delays

Disruptions to the TSA, whose agents are responsible for security checks at nearly 440 airports across the country, could perhaps be the most impactful part of the partial shutdown to Americans’ everyday lives.

Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill told lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday that around 95% of TSA employees — roughly 61,000 people — are deemed essential and will be forced to work without pay in the event of a shutdown.

«We heard reports of officers sleeping in their cars at airports to save money on gas, selling their blood and plasma, and taking on second jobs to make ends meet,» she said of the last shutdown.

But it would take some time before TSA funding could translate to delays. TSA agents, like other essential federal workers, received back pay once the shutdown was over. Those who did not miss shifts also got a $10,000 bonus for added relief.

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TSA paychecks due to be issued on March 3 could see agents getting reduced pay depending on the length of the shutdown. Agents would not be at risk of missing a full paycheck until March 17.

If that happens, however, Americans could see delays or even cancellations at the country’s busiest airports as TSA agents are forced to call out of work and get second jobs to make ends meet.

Passengers wait in line to use automated passport control kiosks set up for international travelers arriving at Miami International Airport. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Natural disaster reimbursement

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is one of the largest and most critical recipients of federal funding under DHS.

Associate Administrator of the Office of Response and Recovery Gregg Phillips told lawmakers on Wednesday that FEMA has enough funds to continue disaster response through a shutdown in the immediate future, but that its budget would be strained in the event of an unforeseen «catastrophic disaster.»

That means Americans hit by an unexpected natural disaster during the shutdown could see delayed federal reimbursement for their homes and small businesses.

Others who have already lived through a natural disaster in the last year but still have not received their checks — FEMA is currently working through a backlog worth billions of dollars — could see that relief delayed even further during the shutdown.

«In the 45 days I’ve been here … we have spent $3 billion in 45 days on 5,000 projects,» Phillips said. «We’re going as fast as we can. We’re committed to reducing the backlog. I can’t go any faster than we actually are. And if this lapses, that’s going to stop.»

People are seen outside a wildfire shelter at the Pasadena Convention Center on Jan. 21, 2025. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Worker visa processing

American business owners who rely on certain types of worker visas could see processing times extended during a DHS shutdown.

That’s because United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) programs are run under DHS and are responsible for processing most immigration applications as well as temporary visas.

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The majority of those programs are funded by fees and are largely untouched. However, areas like e-Verify, the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program, Conrad 30 J-1 doctors, and non-minister religious workers all rely on funding appropriated by Congress, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

USCIS could allow employers to use alternate processes if e-Verify is disrupted during a shutdown, but it’s not clear how much time it would add to business owners’ day-to-day responsibilities to learn a new route for that paperwork.

La presidenta de la Comisión Europea, Ursula von der Leyen, apeló este sábado a revivir la cláusula de defensa mutua de la Unión Europea (UE) durante un discurso en el que instó a Europa a ser más independiente para garantizar su propia seguridad.

“Creo que ha llegado el momento de dar vida a la cláusula de defensa mutua de Europa. La defensa mutua no es una tarea opcional para la UE (…) Es nuestro compromiso colectivo apoyarnos mutuamente en caso de agresión”, dijo la mandataria europea durante su intervención en la Conferencia de Seguridad de Múnich.

Esta cláusula fue introducida en el Tratado de Lisboa en 2007, en el llamado Artículo 42.7 por el que los Estados miembros de la UE tienen “la obligación de prestar ayuda y asistencia con todos los medios a su alcance” si otro Estado miembro es víctima de una agresión en su territorio.

La asistencia puede ser militar pero también podría incluir apoyo diplomático o asistencia médica.

Sin embargo, Von der Leyen añadió que “este compromiso solo tiene peso si se basa en la confianza y la capacidad” y señaló que la UE debe ser más rápida a la hora de tomar decisiones.

“Esto puede significar basarnos en el resultado de una mayoría cualificada en lugar de la unanimidad”, sugirió, apuntando a que para ello no haría falta cambiar las normas del bloque comunitario pero que también “tenemos que ser creativos”.

Asimismo, la presidenta del Ejecutivo europeo hizo hincapié en “formalizar los inicios de nuevas colaboraciones en materia de seguridad” con países como Reino Unido, Noruega, Islandia o Canadá.

Por otro lado, Von der Leyen reiteró que la UE “necesita” una nueva estrategia de seguridad en la que todas las políticas comunitarias – comercio, finanzas, infraestructuras o tecnologías – tengan “una dimensión de seguridad clara en este nuevo orden mundial”.

“Necesitamos una nueva doctrina para ello, con un objetivo sencillo: garantizar que Europa pueda defender su propio territorio, su economía, su democracia y su modo de vida en todo momento”, dijo.

Finalmente, la política alemana y ex ministra de Defensa urgió a “derribar el muro rígido que separa los sectores civil y de defensa” y a comenzar a considerar la industria automovilística, aeroespacial y de maquinaria pesada “como parte fundamental de la cadena de valor de la defensa”.

La jefa de la UE, afirmó que Europa y el Reino Unido deben cooperar más estrechamente en materia de seguridad, economía y defensa de las democracias.

“Europa, y en particular el Reino Unido, deberían estrechar lazos… Diez años después del Brexit, nuestro futuro está más decidido que nunca”, declaró en la conferencia de Seguridad de Múnich.

Von der Leyen, ha argumentado que la realidad actual ha impuesto a Europa la decisión última de fomentar su independencia frente a las amenazas internas y externas a las que se enfrenta, porque “ya no tiene más elección” en un “mundo fracturado y hostil” y porque representa la mejor opción para entablar una nueva relación con EEUU basada en la autosufiencia europea en seguridad, defensa, comercio y tecnología digital.

“Nos enfrentamos a la clara amenaza de fuerzas externas que intentan debilitar nuestra Unión desde dentro. El retorno de una competencia y relaciones de poder abiertamente hostiles. El modo de vida europeo se ve desafiado de nuevas maneras. En todos los ámbitos, desde el territorial hasta el de los aranceles o las regulaciones tecnológicas. En esencia, todo esto apunta a una simple realidad en el mundo fracturado de hoy: Europa ya no tiene más elección que aumentar su independencia”, dijo.

Von der Leyen ha aparecido en uno de los foros internacionales más importantes del año solo minutos después de que el secretario de Estado de EEUU, Marco Rubio, proclamara ante los mismos asistentes el final del “engaño” de las democracias liberales y propusiera a Europa un nuevo modelo de relaciones bajo la égida del nacionalismo del presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, el mismo que comenzó su segundo mandato declarando una guerra arancelaria a Europa.

En esta tesitura, Von der Leyen ha llamado a la autosuficiencia “en todas las dimensiones que afectan a nuestra seguridad y prosperidad: defensa y energía, economía y comercio, materias primas y tecnología digital” antes de lanzar una velada mención a EEUU. “Algunos podrían decir que la palabra ‘independencia’ contradice nuestro vínculo transatlántico. Pero lo cierto es lo contrario. Una Europa independiente es una Europa fuerte. Y una Europa fuerte fortalece la alianza transatlántica”, ha asegurado.

Todo ello, a partir de necesidades imperiosas de seguridad porque “se han cruzado límites que ya no se pueden deshacer” por un motivo fundamental como es la guerra en Ucrania, un conflicto que ha incrementado un 80 por ciento el gasto en 2025 respecto antes del comienzo de la invasión rusa de 2022, una “terapia de choque” para Europa.

Así pues, y como “ningún tabú puede quedar sin respuesta”, la presidenta de la Comisión Europea ha declarado el momento de “implementar la cláusula de defensa mutua europea”: el compromiso colectivo, reflejado el artículo 42 del Tratado de la Unión Europea, “de apoyarnos entre nosotros en caso de agresión”.

Una cláusula que, para Von der Leyen, debe representar la columna vertebral de una nueva Estrategia Europea de Seguridad construida a partir de “todas nuestras herramientas políticas: comercio, finanzas, estándares, datos, infraestructuras críticas, plataformas tecnológicas e información”.

“En Europa debemos estar preparados y dispuestos a utilizar nuestra fuerza de forma asertiva y proactiva para proteger nuestros intereses de seguridad. Necesitamos una nueva doctrina para ello, con un objetivo simple: garantizar que Europa pueda defender su propio territorio, economía, democracia y estilo de vida en todo momento. Porque este es, en definitiva, el verdadero significado de la independencia”, ha zanjado Von der Leyen.

(Con información de EFE y AFP)

A suburban Maryland board meeting was taken off the air after whistling and protests erupted moments after officials approved a resolution endorsing cooperation with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including the purchase of a warehouse in Williamsport that sparked Democratic outrage.

A few miles south of the Hagerstown meeting, DHS had completed the purchase of the $102 million property in Williamsport, just across the Potomac River from Falling Waters, West Virginia, and about 75 miles from Washington, D.C.

The property soon became the site of protests, including a video posted by Total Wine billionaire David Trone, who is running for his former U.S. House seat, in which he stood by a snowbank behind the center and declared ICE was «executing people» and did not belong in Maryland.

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Washington County Board President John Barr slammed his gavel Tuesday as outrage erupted over the resolution, declaring the «safety and security of our community is of utmost importance» and that «DHS [and] ICE play a crucial role in safeguarding our nation’s borders and is responsible for enforcing immigration laws, protecting the country from potential threats and maintaining the rule of law for public safety.»

Barr’s voice vote appeared to reflect most if not all board members saying «aye» but elicited «nay!» and «no» from the audience, and people began loudly whistling, clapping and pointing at Barr.

Barr calmly announced, «Clear the room,» and a broadcast producer could be heard saying, «Off air! Off air» before the TV feed was cut.

DHS FIRES BACK AFTER DEM BILLIONAIRE DAVID TRONE CLAIMS ICE IS ‘EXECUTING PEOPLE’

Outside the building on Washington Street, a throng of anti-ICE protesters similarly whistled and waved signs that said «no concentration camps» and «No ICE Jail.»

«These ICE facilities; they’re inhumane; I don’t want them here,» protester Richard Hartman told Baltimore’s NBC affiliate.

Two counter-protesters waved signs saying «Trump is Your President» and «We Love ICE.»

Maryland federal lawmakers urged the county not to pass the resolution. Rep. April McClain Delaney, who Trone is facing in the primary, called the plan «sweeping and dangerous» and forged in «darkness.»

«[It] is yet another example of the Trump administration acting without transparency, accountability or regard for human life,» she said.

Washington County sits in a transitional area. To the east, deep blue Washington suburbs reliably vote Democrat. To the west, «Mountain Maryland» and the Maryland panhandle form a Republican-friendly bastion, though they are grouped with some of the aforementioned suburbs in a congressional district that trends blue.

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Closer to the nation’s capital, officials in once-moderate Howard County blocked another ICE center in Elkridge, according to the Baltimore station.

To the north in Pennsylvania, Democrats have opposed similar transactions, including a center just off US-22 in Shartlesville, a rural community recently home to the now-defunct Roadside America attraction.

In a statement to Fox News Digital about the Williamsport center, Trone said ICE has «detained children as young as 5 years old, American citizens and military veterans.»

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«ICE only needs to expand its detention space because reprehensible legislation was passed by Congress — with the support of Rep. April McClain Delaney — that strips due process rights and expands this administration’s ability to carry out this cruel agenda.»

Republicans running for the seat, including Robin Ficker and Chris Burnett, have signaled support for immigration enforcement, and state Del. Neil Parrott of Hagerstown, who has formed an exploratory committee but not formally declared, said as much in prior comments to Fox News Digital.