US Congress approves $70 billion bill to fund Trump’s immigration crackdown

The US Congress has passed a $70 billion funding bill for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda, sending the measure to the White House for signature after months of intense partisan debate. The legislation, which was approved roughly along party lines in the House following its clearance by the Senate last week, provides funding for Trump’s deportation agenda through the remainder of his term. The bill allocates $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $26 billion for Border Patrol, and $5 billion for contingency costs, covering expenditures through fiscal 2029.

The passage of the bill marks a significant legislative victory for the Republican administration, ending a dispute that began with a January immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis. That initial surge resulted in the deaths of two civilians shot by federal law enforcement, sparking a months-long standoff over Homeland Security funding. Democrats had sought to attach restrictions to the bill, including prohibitions on raids in sensitive locations, the use of masks by officers, and entry onto private property without judicial warrants. Republicans rejected these demands, opting instead to utilise the fast-track budget reconciliation process.

By employing budget reconciliation, Republicans bypassed the usual 60-vote threshold required in the Senate, allowing the measure to pass with a simple majority. This procedural move effectively insulated the funding from Democratic opposition, ensuring that agencies would remain funded for the rest of Trump’s term. House Speaker Mike Johnson framed the outcome as a resolution to what he characterised as Democratic obstruction, stating that the vote ended the third government shutdown of the current Congress and secured agency funding through the 119th and 120th Congresses.

Democratic leadership strongly opposed the measure, with leader Hakeem Jeffries criticising the legislation as a “blank check” for aggressive enforcement tactics without new limits or oversight. Jeffries argued that taxpayer money should be directed toward lowering costs for Americans rather than providing additional funding to ICE. The bill supplements approximately $140 billion already approved for immigration enforcement in the previous year, arriving as the administration faces pressure from immigration hardliners to accelerate deportations after falling short of Trump’s goal of removing one million people annually.

The legislative journey was complicated by several contentious proposals that were ultimately stripped from the final package. A proposed $1 billion security provision linked to Trump’s planned White House ballroom was removed due to procedural and political objections. Additionally, a Justice Department proposal for a nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund to compensate individuals claiming political persecution was dropped following bipartisan backlash, despite Senate Republicans defeating attempts to formally bar payouts to those convicted over the 2021 attack on the US Capitol.