House Passes $70 Billion Immigration Enforcement Bill

Narrow House Victory on Immigration Funding

The House on Tuesday voted along party lines, 214-212, to pass a $70 billion bill that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. The Senate approved the measure last week, so the bill now only needs Trump's signature.

Breakdown and Impact

The bill will allocate $38 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion for the Border Patrol and another $5 billion to cover unforeseen costs. The $70 billion extends through the end of Trump's presidency. This funding structure bypasses normal annual appropriations processes, preventing Democrats from using future budget negotiations to restrict these agencies.

Democratic Opposition and Stalled Reforms

To Democrats' disappointment, the bill passed without imposing any new restrictions on how immigration agents should operate. Throughout the standoff, Democrats wanted to mandate body cams on officers, bar them from wearing masks during enforcement operations, and require judicial warrants before they could enter homes, among other reforms. After two American citizens were fatally shot by federal agents during Trump's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis earlier this year, Democrats said they would not provide funding for ICE and CPB without significant reforms to their operating procedures.

Speaker Johnson's Victory

The vote was a test for House Speaker Mike Johnson as he tries to cement one of President Donald Trump's top domestic priorities. Republicans united to pass the immigration funding on Tuesday. Speaker Mike Johnson said the House vote ended "the Democrat Department of Homeland Security shutdown once and for all," and that Republicans have "taken away" the Democrats' ability to "take hostage" immigration-related funding for the remainder of the Trump Administration.