Britt: Half of Space Command personnel will be in Huntsville by 2029

• "We're going to use every tool in our toolbox to make sure that this permanency is just that: permanency," she told a crowd of 1,100 at the Chamber of Commerce Washington Update Friday.

Zoom in: Britt said that during an early February meeting, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Space Command Gen. Stephen Whiting confirmed the 50% personnel figure would be reached by the end of 2028.

Britt's visit Friday comes as Huntsville residents continue to push the City Council to not sign any new agreements with ICE, including last week when two dozen residents spoke at the end Thursday night's meeting.

• Asked by Axios what she'd tell those residents, Britt said, "I would say, 'Look, we want to have safe communities, we want to have secure communities. I'm proud that we're a nation of immigrants and also a nation of laws.'"
• She said Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem's move to outfit ICE agents with body cameras and Trump's border czar Tom Homan drawing down operations in Minnesota were examples of Republicans working in good faith.

State of play: Britt has been leading negotiations on the Republican side over DHS funding that hadn't reached a resolution by the time of writing Friday, leading to a partial government shutdown.

What they're saying: "Unfortunately, this is yet another example of Democrats walking away from the table and politics being at play," she said.

• "It's frustrating to see people walk away from" it, she said, saying the proposal calls for $20 million for body cameras, $2 million for de-escalation training and $20 million for an investigator general to examine ICE detention facilities.