US Congress Passes $70 Billion Package to Fuel Trump's Immigration Enforcement
Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia.
The US Congress approved a $70 billion spending package aimed at backing President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda for the remainder of his term, on Tuesday. The vote ended months of intense partisan conflict over deportation policies and border security measures.
The bill, which passed largely along party lines in the House after clearing the Senate last week, is now headed to President Trump for his signature. The approval hands the Republican leader a significant political win on a cornerstone issue just months before November's midterm elections.
The legislation allocates approximately $38 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $26 billion to the Border Patrol, and an additional $5 billion for unanticipated expenses. Collectively, the funding ensures sustained support for Trump's deportation priorities through fiscal year 2029.
Democrats, who overwhelmingly opposed the measure, accused Republicans of giving the administration a blank check for aggressive enforcement actions without imposing new restrictions or oversight mechanisms.
The funding battle is rooted in a months-long dispute over Homeland Security spending that escalated following a January immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis, during which two bystanders were fatally shot by federal agents.
Democrats had refused to approve additional funds for ICE and Border Patrol without specific constraints on enforcement tactics—such as raids at sensitive locations, the use of face coverings by agents, and warrantless entries onto private property.
Republicans rejected those conditions and instead utilized the budget reconciliation process, which allows spending bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority. This procedural move bypassed the typical 60-vote threshold needed to overcome Democratic opposition.
"With today's vote, House and Senate Republicans have formally ended the third Democratic government shutdown of this Congress," said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
He added, "The outcome of Democrats' record-breaking obstruction is this: CBP and ICE will now be funded for the rest of President Trump's term, and Democrats will have no means to defund these agencies in the 119th or 120th Congresses."
Critics have labeled the package a "slush fund," warning that it lacks adequate fiscal or legal safeguards.
Johnson Calls Bill 'Long Overdue' as Jeffries Condemns 'Blank Check'
Speaker Mike Johnson has described the $70 billion immigration enforcement bill as "long overdue," while Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries countered that taxpayer funds should be used to lower costs for American families rather than providing ICE with "another $70 billion blank check."
The package adds to nearly $140 billion already approved by the Republican-controlled Congress last year for immigration enforcement as part of Trump's broader tax and spending law.
The legislation arrives as the administration faces increasing pressure from immigration hardliners to speed up deportations, having fallen short of Trump's goal of removing one million people annually. Trump's border chief, Tom Homan, has promised stepped-up enforcement, including potential operations in heavily Democratic New York, the nation's largest city.
The vote concludes a turbulent journey for the bill, which had been delayed by Republican unease over other Trump priorities originally attached to the legislation.
A proposed $1 billion security provision linked to Trump's planned White House ballroom was removed following procedural and political objections.
A separate Justice Department proposal for a nearly $1.8 billion "anti-weaponisation" fund — intended to compensate individuals who claim they were politically persecuted — also triggered bipartisan backlash. Critics labeled the fund a "slush fund" that could allow Trump allies, including people convicted for their roles in the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, to receive taxpayer money.
The Justice Department later announced it would not move forward with the fund. However, Trump has continued to praise the idea and has declined to say clearly whether it is permanently dead or merely paused.
Senate Republicans defeated attempts to formally prohibit such payouts during an overnight amendment marathon before passing the bill last week, leaving the issue unresolved. Democrats also failed in the House Rules Committee to attach amendments related to the fund, including one that would have barred Capitol rioters from receiving federal compensation. (Source: france24.com)
