Senate OKs ICE, Border Control Funding

The U.S. Senate on June 5 passed legislation to provide some $70 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other immigration enforcement after a “vote-a-rama” on amendments to the reconciliation bill.

In a Friday morning vote, the Senate approved the measure 52–47. All Republicans voted for the measure, and all Democrats except for Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who did not vote, voted against it.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told reporters on Thursday that if the legislation passed the Senate, the House would vote on it on Friday.

The legislation is being fast-tracked under the partisan reconciliation process in order to fully close the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding gap following the start of a partial government shutdown in mid-February amid continued Democratic opposition to funding for portions of the executive department.

It includes around $72 billion to fund ICE and Border Patrol through the end of President Donald Trump’s current term on Jan. 20, 2029.

Previously, progress on the legislation had stalled amid Senate Republicans’ opposition to a proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund for individuals alleging harm caused by the federal government.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced that the administration would end the program on June 2, a move that helped break internal Republican divisions, which threatened the bill’s final passage.

On June 3, Senate Republicans released updated legislative text that also formally removed $1 billion in funding tied to Trump’s ballroom project and White House security updates.

The compensation fund had sparked strong bipartisan opposition; several Republican senators previously signaled that they would not support the legislation while the proposal remained under consideration.

Despite the administration’s decision to drop the compensation fund, some Republican senators continue to express concerns about the Justice Department’s proposed Anti-Weaponization Fund. Several lawmakers indicated they plan to support amendments to permanently eliminate the program, despite Blanche’s assurances that the administration no longer intends to pursue it.

In the hours of voting that led up to the Senate’s passage of the bill, lawmakers weighed in on an amendment offered by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) that would have barred the use of taxpayer funds for a weaponization fund or similar.

Tillis had said he was introducing an amendment to ensure that the fund cannot be revived in the future.

“I think even DOJ knows that this was a bad idea, and what we need to do is provide finality,” Tillis said. “They’ve said that they’ve quiesced the program, then why can’t we just take the step of statutorily eliminate the question, so that a future decision to reopen it is eliminated?”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also introduced an amendment to prevent the creation of an anti-weaponization fund. It failed 50–49.

Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Jon Husted (R-Ohio), and Susan Collins (R-Maine)—who are up for re-election this year—joined all Democrats in voting in favor of it.

The vote was kept open for nearly three hours as Republicans debated amendments to possibly add to the legislation.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) told The Epoch Times ahead of the vote that the amendment “stinks,” adding he thought it was against the president. When Trump “wants to do something, [Tillis] doesn’t want to do it,” he said.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) told The Epoch Times she was “supportive of the intent” of the Tillis amendment.

That amendment was rejected by the Senate as the vote series was ongoing.

Trump had called for legislation funding ICE and Border Patrol by June 1. However, opposition to the proposed compensation fund delayed congressional action, preventing lawmakers from passing the bill before departing for the Memorial Day recess.

—Joseph Lord, Jackson Richman, and Nathan Worcester

BOOKMARKS

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