Senate Budget Committee Advances Bill to Fund Immigration Enforcement

The Senate Budget Committee advanced a reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies after a party-line vote. The legislation targets Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which had been left out of prior budget negotiations under an agreement to end the most recent government shutdown.

Democrats raised objections to the bill and criticized the conduct of the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.

The senator noted that reconciliation allows one party to act without broader agreement and said the funding could be directed elsewhere. The senator also referenced past bipartisan efforts in 2013 and 2018 as models for addressing border issues. A Republican committee chairman responded by highlighting victims of crimes involving illegal immigration and said the current administration is working to locate children who may have entered the system improperly.

The chairman mentioned specific cases including Laken Riley and Rachel Morin.

Scalise said the House could vote on the bill as early as Thursday if the Senate completes its work. The bill is expected to move quickly through Republican-led procedures.