Washington DC - President Donald Trump and Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are reportedly close to working out a deal to evade another government shutdown.

According to The New York Times, Trump and Schumer on Wednesday evening moved on a possible agreement to negotiate new restrictions on federal immigration agents.

Two officials told the outlet that the agreement seeks to split funding for the Department of Homeland Security – which controls ICE, Border Patrol, and other immigration agencies – from a six-bill package of spending measures that will be used to fund several other federal agencies.

The six bills would need to be passed by a Friday deadline, and Congress would then pass a stopgap bill to fund DHS, giving them more time to negotiate on the restrictions.

The talks come as Trump has deployed federal agents to occupy Democrat-run cities across the country, which has fueled clashes with local protesters.

Most notably, tensions have been high in Minnesota, where two US citizens have been killed by federal agents this month.

Democrats have been demanding restrictions and rules on agents' tactics, including the banning of face masks and requiring the use of body cams. They have also been calling for agents to face accountability for abuses of power.

The two parties will have to come to a full agreement by early Saturday when funding for multiple federal agencies is scheduled to lapse.