House Passes $70B Immigration Enforcement Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $70 billion bill on June 9, 2024, to fund immigration enforcement agencies through the remainder of President Donald Trump's term. The legislation provides $38.5 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), $26 billion for Border Patrol, and a $5 billion funding pool controlled by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, according to multiple reports.

The bill passed with a narrow margin of 214-212, with all Democrats and Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) voting against the package. House Speaker Mike Johnson expected the measure to pass despite the slim margin for error within his party. According to CBS News, Johnson acknowledged that attendance during primary season posed a real challenge.

The Senate passed the package on June 6, 2024 early Friday morning in a 52-47 vote, with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) as the lone Republican opponent. Republicans used the budget reconciliation process to bypass Democratic opposition and pass the legislation with a simple majority in both chambers.

Senate Majority Leader Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) stated that Democrats' objections forced Republicans to use this procedural maneuver, which allows spending-related measures to pass without facing a filibuster. According to CNBC, Graham said, 'We were forced to use the reconciliation process because Democrats objected – during the appropriations process – to giving any money to Border Patrol and ICE, effectively shutting our border security down at a time of growing threats to the nation.'

The funding package comes amid rising tensions surrounding immigration enforcement policies. Protests outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, New Jersey have escalated, with over 80 arrests following clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement. According to PBS News, these protests highlight ongoing concerns about conditions within immigration detention facilities.

The legislation further inflates ICE’s usual $10 billion annual budget. The agency already received a $75 billion windfall from Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act last year, which made it the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in the federal government. According to Time, under the reconciliation package, ICE is set to receive another $38.5 billion to hire, pay, and train personnel over the three years—including $7 billion for Homeland Security Investigations agents.

The large funding allocation has raised concerns that Congress has virtually ceded oversight of immigration enforcement operations and spending. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), the lone Republican to vote against the measure, wrote in a statement Friday that appropriating funding for three fiscal years instead of the usual one 'reduces Congress’ ability to apply reasonable checks on immigration policy for the remainder of this Administration and into the next,' as reported by Time.