House approves $70B ICE and CBP funding package after months of GOP infighting

WASHINGTON, DC: The House on Tuesday, June 9, narrowly approved a $70 billion immigration enforcement package that would fund US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term.

The measure passed the House by a 214-212 vote and now heads to Trump for his expected signature. The legislation ends months of congressional gridlock over immigration enforcement funding and marks a major legislative victory for Republicans on border policy.

House passes $70 billion ICE funding bill

Republicans framed the legislation as essential to sustaining border enforcement operations after Democrats earlier this year blocked separate funding efforts tied to DHS agencies. The legislation, dubbed the Secure America Act, passed almost entirely along party lines.

Independent Rep Kevin Kiley of California joined Democrats in voting against the bill. Kiley said he opposed the package because it lacked new limits or oversight on federal immigration enforcement.

“We didn’t see that, body cameras, training, identification, judicial warrants to enter homes, not enforcement zones around schools,” Kiley said. “I think the vast majority of Americans support this.”

“This bill breaks the Democrats’ stranglehold over ICE and CBP funding,” Rep Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) said on the House floor.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La, also praised the bill after its passage. “This is good news for everybody except Washington Democrats,” he said.

Johnson argued that "all that Democrats have achieved by their shutdown is a useful reminder to the American people of their support for keeping criminal illegal immigrants in American communities."

GOP infighting nearly derails immigration bill

The bill’s path through Congress was marked by weeks of internal Republican divisions and procedural fights.

Senate Republicans were split over Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” Justice Department settlement fund, which critics feared could benefit Trump allies, including some connected to the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche later told lawmakers the fund would not move forward, but several GOP senators still pushed for language formally prohibiting it. In the end, Republicans did not include such a prohibition in the final legislation.

House hardliners also briefly threatened to block the bill unless leadership agreed to consider a stricter immigration crackdown measure, though they eventually voted to advance the package.

Democrats strongly opposed the legislation, arguing that it expanded ICE funding without accountability reforms. Rep Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash) said Republicans had passed the bill with “no guardrails,” stating that "we should be investing in the American people, not sending billions more to these agencies."

Rep Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) echoed those sentiments, saying, “With $70 billion, we could end homelessness in America,” adding, "just about anything would be better than giving it to ICE."

One notable Trump priority was dropped from the final bill: a proposed $1 billion allocation for White House security upgrades, including funding tied to Trump’s planned East Wing ballroom project. Senate rules and Republican objections prevented that provision from surviving in the final package.