US Immigration Enforcement: House Votes $70B for ICE, Border Patrol

US immigration enforcement funding moved closer as the House approved a $70B budget outline for ICE and Border Patrol. The Silicon Review reports on the 215-211 party-line vote aiming to end the 11-week DHS shutdown.

The House took a decisive step Wednesday toward approving $70 billion for immigration enforcement, adopting a budget resolution that allows Republicans to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the remainder of President Trump's term without Democratic support.

The vote was 215-211 along party lines. No Democrats supported the measure. Speaker Mike Johnson held the vote open for more than five hours as he worked to secure enough Republican support. The budget blueprint, which the Senate approved last week, unlocks the reconciliation process a maneuver that bypasses the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold and allows Republicans to act alone.

"We're going to do what I believe is the right thing, and we're going to fund our government, including those who protect us and risk their lives to enforce our immigration laws," said House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) during the Rules Committee hearing.

The urgency is acute. Homeland Security has been operating without regular funds since February 14 the longest partial shutdown of the department in history. The Office of Management and Budget warned that money to pay Transportation Security Administration officers and other essential personnel will "soon run out," with paychecks at risk beginning in May.

The current stalemate stems from a February 14 funding lapse after Democrats refused to fund ICE without new restrictions on agent conduct, triggered by the fatal shootings of two Minneapolis protesters by federal agents. Republicans rejected Democratic demands, leaving the department in limbo for nearly 11 weeks.

Under the two-track strategy, House Republicans plan to first vote on a bipartisan bill Thursday to fund non-immigration agencies including TSA, the Coast Guard, and FEMA before drafting the $70 billion immigration enforcement package . President Trump has demanded the final bill on his desk by June 1.

Democrats criticized the move as an end-run around bipartisan negotiations, while Republicans argued the national security threat demanded immediate action, pointing to recent incidents including a shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner .

As US immigration enforcement funding moves closer with a $70 billion budget outline for ICE and Border Patrol, The Silicon Review examines whether the Republican go-it-alone strategy can end the longest DHS shutdown in history and what the price of border security will be for the nation's immigration system.