Senate Pushes Through Budget to Prop Up ICE and Border Patrol Despite Homeland Security Shutdown
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The U.S. Senate has narrowly passed a budget resolution pouring billions into controversial agencies ICE and Border Patrol, prioritizing harsh immigration enforcement over meaningful reform, as the Department of Homeland Security remains shuttered.
In a move that underscores the Senate's ongoing commitment to punitive immigration policies, the U.S. Senate voted early Thursday to approve a budget plan allocating a staggering $70 billion to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for three more years. This decision comes even as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been shut down since mid-February, leaving critical services in limbo.
The 50-48 vote, forced through via the budget reconciliation process, allowed Republicans to sidestep filibuster rules and push their agenda without meaningful debate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., boasted,
"We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies."
Democrats, however, stood in opposition, calling for long-overdue reforms to federal immigration enforcement. They advocated for increased accountability, such as better identification for federal officers and a greater reliance on judicial warrants to protect civil liberties. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., lamented,
"Instead of pumping hundreds of billions ... ."
The budget resolution now heads to the House of Representatives, where its fate is uncertain due to fractures within the GOP and the possibility of additional legislative riders. Thune issued a warning that, without immediate action, other parts of DHS could soon run out of funding, further jeopardizing essential government functions.