President Donald Trump enacted legislation Wednesday that allocates nearly $70 billion in additional funding for immigration and deportation operations during the remainder of his presidency.
The legislation allocates $38 billion to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion to the Border Patrol. The White House reports an extra $5 billion has been designated for unexpected expenses.
The president put his signature on the measure in the Oval Office one day following House Republicans’ successful passage of the bill by a narrow 214-212 margin, despite Democratic opposition. The signing concluded nearly six months of contentious debates over Department of Homeland Security funding that originated following the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, during federal immigration enforcement activities in Minneapolis in January.
Following those shootings, Democrats pressed for modifications to immigration enforcement procedures, leading to a standoff that resulted in the longest agency funding gap in history and eventually prompted Republicans to advance the funding independently.
The funding will support these agencies for the following three years. The new legislation front-loads standard yearly appropriations, guaranteeing a continuous funding stream as the Trump administration pursues its goal of deporting approximately 1 million individuals annually.
The bill had previously stalled due to disputes over $1 billion designated for White House security measures, including Trump’s new ballroom, along with a $1.8 billion compensation fund for his supporters claiming to be targets of political persecution. These provisions proved politically problematic and were ultimately removed.
The final version concentrated solely on immigration enforcement, an issue Republicans consider a key differentiator between the major political parties and one the GOP believes will benefit them in November’s midterm elections.
