The new details came days after lawmakers funded the rest of the Department of Homeland Security.
WASHINGTON—Republicans are one step closer to backing immigration and border law enforcement agencies that were left out of last month’s Department of Homeland Security funding bill.
Late on May 4, the Senate’s Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees released legislative text for a $72 billion plan to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as Customs and Border Protection, among other items.
Several months ahead of midterms that could be bruising for the party in power, the proposal would keep those two agencies afloat through 2029.
With the backing of President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans intend to use a process known as budget reconciliation, a path they opened last month by passing a budget resolution in the House and Senate.
Reconciliation, though subject to tight constraints from the Senate Parliamentarian, would allow Senate Republicans to bypass the filibuster.
ICE and CBP were sticking points as Republicans and Democrats navigated the recent DHS shutdown, which ended on April 30.
Democrats demanded changes at the agencies after the fatal shootings of protesters Renée Good and Alex Pretti by immigration law enforcement in Minneapolis.
Republicans rebuffed many of those proposals.
The disagreements set the stage for a 76-day funding lapse for DHS, the longest shutdown in American history.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) cited that shutdown in a statement accompanying his committee’s legislative text.
“Republicans won’t allow our country to be dragged backwards by Democrats’ radical, anti-law enforcement agenda. The Senate Judiciary Committee is taking action to help provide certainty for federal law enforcement and safer streets for American families,” he said.
. . . .
The Judiciary legislative text includes $30.7 billion for ICE to enlarge and support its pool of agents. It also covers ICE’s transportation, operations, facilities, and information technology, among other areas.
The text encompasses $3.4 billion to onboard and support Customs and Border Protection agents, $1.5 billion for other law enforcement under the Department of Justice, and $1 billion for the U.S. Secret Service to bolster security elements connected with the rebuilding of the East Wing of the White House.
The Homeland Security legislative text includes $19 billion to hire, train, pay, and equip agents and other personnel with Customs and Border Protection.
The agency would receive an additional $3.5 billion for security, technology, and screening at the border, with priorities ranging from artificial intelligence-based systems for tracking narcotics to support for a biometric entry and exit system.
The committee’s text would provide another $7.5 billion to ICE, also for hiring and supporting agents.
