New Delhi, Jan. 25 -- The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers, ICE, in Minnesota has intensified an already volatile standoff in Washington DC, bringing the United States closer to a fresh federal government shutdown and raising the spectre of military deployment under emergency powers.

The death of Alex Pretti, which occurred during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation on Saturday, has sharpened Democratic resistance to funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just days before a critical budget deadline.

With US government funding set to expire on Friday, Senate Democrats are now under mounting pressure from their House colleagues and grassroots supporters to block appropriations for...