CongressPasses $70 Billion Bill to Finance Trump’s Immigration Enforcement

The US Congress passed a $70 billion measure on Tuesday to fund President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration enforcement agenda through the remainder of his term, concluding months of partisan dispute over deportation and border security policies.

The legislation, which cleared the Senate the previous week and was approved largely along party lines in the House, now awaits the president’s signature and represents a major win for Trump on a key campaign issue ahead of the November midterm elections.

Funding allocations include roughly $38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $26 billion for Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol, and an additional $5 billion for unforeseen expenses, guaranteeing continued financing for the administration’s deportation program through fiscal year 2029.

Democratic leaders criticized the bill, saying it grants the administration an unrestricted budget for aggressive enforcement tactics without any new constraints or oversight.

The controversy stems from a prolonged battle over Department of Homeland Security funding that began with a January enforcement surge in Minneapolis, during which two civilians were killed by federal officers.

Democrats insisted that any new funding for ICE and Border Patrol must be accompanied by limits on tactics such as raids in sensitive locations, mandatory use of masks by officers, and entry onto private property without a judicial warrant.

Republicans dismissed those demands and instead employed the budget reconciliation process, which permits Senate passage with a simple majority, bypassing the usual 60‑vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster.

Speaker Mike Johnson said the vote marks the formal end of the third Democrat‑led government shutdown of this Congress.

He added that, as a result of Democratic obstruction, CBP and ICE will remain funded for the rest of President Trump’s term, leaving Democrats unable to defund these agencies in the 119th or 120th Congresses.

‘Slush fund’

Johnson called the bill “long overdue,” while House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries warned that taxpayer dollars should reduce costs for Americans rather than provide ICE with another $70 billion open‑ended check.

The package adds to the roughly $140 billion already appropriated by a Republican‑controlled Congress last year for immigration enforcement as part of Trump’s broader tax and spending legislation.

The administration is under pressure from hard‑line immigration advocates to accelerate deportations after falling short of Trump’s target of removing one million people annually.

Border chief Tom Homan pledged increased enforcement actions, potentially including operations in New York City, the nation’s largest city and a Democratic stronghold.

The vote concludes a tumultuous legislative journey that was delayed by Republican concerns over other Trump‑related priorities initially attached to the bill.

A $1 billion security provision tied to the planned White House ballroom was removed following procedural and political objections.

A separate Justice Department proposal for a nearly $1.8 billion “anti‑weaponization” fund to compensate individuals claiming political persecution also sparked bipartisan criticism.

Critics labeled the fund a “slush fund” that could enable Trump allies — including those convicted for the 2021 Capitol riot — to receive taxpayer money.

The Justice Department later indicated it would not pursue the fund, though Trump has continued to endorse the idea and has not clarified whether it is dead or merely paused.

Senate Republicans rejected attempts to prohibit such payments during an overnight amendment marathon, leaving the matter unresolved.

Democrats were unable to attach related amendments in the House Rules Committee, including a measure that would have barred Capitol rioters from receiving federal compensation.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Source link