House Pushes DHS Funding With ICE Budget Intact as Senate Democrats Threaten Block
The U.S. House has passed a sweeping federal spending package that includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, but the bill now faces growing resistance in the Senate as immigration enforcement becomes a flashpoint again.
The legislation cleared the House on a 220–207 vote this week, sending the DHS funding measure to the Senate just days before a looming government funding deadline. While House leaders framed the bill as a stopgap to prevent a shutdown, critics say it preserves the status quo for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.
According to national reporting, the package keeps ICE and CBP funding largely in line with current levels while adding limited oversight provisions such as expanded body camera use and reporting requirements. The bill does not include broader enforcement restrictions sought by progressive lawmakers and immigrant rights groups.
That omission is now complicating the bill’s path forward. Senate Democrats have publicly signaled they are unwilling to advance the package without added guardrails, raising the possibility that the funding measure could stall and trigger a partial government shutdown.
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“As written, this bill continues funding aggressive immigration enforcement without real accountability,” said a senior policy counsel with the ACLU.
Advocacy groups including the ACLU and the National Immigration Law Center have intensified pressure on senators, urging them to reject the package unless it is amended. The push comes amid heightened scrutiny of recent enforcement actions in Minnesota and other states that have drawn public backlash.
The standoff matters because DHS funding has become one of the final obstacles to keeping the federal government open. While ICE and CBP could continue operating under existing funding even during a shutdown, other DHS functions and federal services would be affected.
Senate leaders are expected to take up the bill later this week, with negotiations focused on whether changes can be made quickly enough to avoid a lapse in funding.
For now, the outcome remains uncertain as the deadline approaches.
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