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- The House passed a $70 billion bill for immigration enforcement funding for 3 years on Tuesday.
- The bill, passed 214-212, allocates $38 billion to ICE and $26 billion to Border Patrol.
- The bill now heads to the White House, where it awaits President Donald Trump's signature.
WASHINGTON — A bill to provide nearly $70 billion for immigration enforcement narrowly passed the House on Tuesday and now goes to President Donald Trump for his signature, fueling the administration's deportation agenda for the remainder of his time in the White House. Republicans used their majority to get the bill over the finish line, funding a pair of Homeland Security agencies through the next three years. The bill passed by a vote of 214-212, over the objections of Democrats.
The White House says the bill will provide $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs. It frontloads routine annual funding, ensuring a virtually uninterrupted flow of money as the Trump administration seeks to deport some 1 million people per year.
This is a breaking news story. The prior story from Reuters follows below.
WASHINGTON — Congress moved one step closer on Tuesday to ending a stalemate over funding for immigration enforcement, as Republicans in the House of Representatives voted along party lines to open debate on a $70 billion bill.
The House was expected to vote on passing the measure later on Tuesday, which would send the legislation to the White House for President Donald Trump's signature. The Senate passed the bill early Friday morning, also along party lines.
The bill would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three years, putting it beyond the reach of partisan disagreements in Congress.
Democrats refused to back funding for immigration enforcement after agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. That disrupted funding for the Department of Homeland Security, leading to lengthy airport-security lines, until lawmakers agreed in April to fund portions of the sprawling department not involved in Trump's immigration crackdown.
Trump repeatedly upended Republicans' efforts to pass the legislation in the Senate with his support for $1 billion toward security for his White House ballroom and a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that could compensate his political allies for allegations that the government mistreated them.
The ballroom funding was removed from the bill, and Republicans defeated amendments to impose restrictions on the anti-weaponization fund, which the administration has said will no longer go forward.
Democrats vehemently opposed funding for immigration enforcement after two Americans were killed, but they failed to reach an agreement with the White House on a package of reforms in exchange for their votes on funding.
