US House passes $70 billion bill to fund ICE, Border Patrol

WASHINGTON — A longstanding political stalemate in the U.S. Congress over funding for immigration enforcement ended Tuesday, when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a $70 billion bill to finance U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s administration.

The 214–212 vote, which largely followed party lines, sends the partisan measure to the White House for Trump’s signature. Representative Kevin Kiley, a former Republican who now serves as an independent, joined Democrats in opposing the bill.

The Republican-led Senate passed the same legislation late last week after a marathon voting session. Republicans used a fast-track process known as budget reconciliation, which allowed them to bypass a potential filibuster from Senate Democrats.

Policy disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over reforms to immigration enforcement helped trigger a 76-day partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year. The shutdown largely ended in April after Trump signed a bipartisan funding bill that kept DHS agencies not involved in immigration enforcement funded through September 30, the end of the fiscal year.

During negotiations, Trump also disrupted Republican efforts in the Senate by pushing for $1 billion in funding for a White House ballroom renovation and a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which critics said could have been used to compensate political allies alleging government mistreatment.

The ballroom funding was ultimately removed from the legislation, and Republicans rejected amendments seeking to restrict the proposed anti-weaponization fund. The administration later indicated the initiative would not move forward.

Democrats strongly opposed the immigration enforcement funding package, particularly following the fatal shootings of two Americans by immigration agents in January. However, they were unable to reach an agreement with the White House on broader reform measures. -Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Mark Porter, Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman/Reuters