The Senate passed a reconciliation package funding ICE, CBP and DHS operations through 2029 after Republicans resolved objections over a DOJ anti-weaponization fund and White House ballroom security money.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Senate passed a $69.5 billion immigration enforcement package Friday after disputes over a Justice Department anti-weaponization fund and White House ballroom-related security funding complicated Republican efforts to advance the bill.
The reconciliation measure passed 52-47 and would provide $30.73 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $22.57 billion to Customs and Border Protection and $2.5 billion in Department of Homeland Security appropriations through 2029.
The vote came after the package missed President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline, with several internal Republican disputes slowing the process. Because the legislation moved through reconciliation, it needed only a simple majority of 51 votes to pass.
Senate Republicans drafted the measure after a 76-day DHS shutdown that followed Democratic refusals to fund the agency after high-profile shootings involving immigration agents in Minneapolis in January.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican to vote against the final package.
One of the central obstacles was a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund at the Department of Justice. Some Senate Republicans, including Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Katie Britt of Alabama, raised concerns that the fund could be used to compensate people convicted of assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he was “not a fan” of the fund and said guardrails should have been attached to it.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified Tuesday that the Trump administration was not moving forward with the fund. Democrats later used a vote-a-rama to try to send the package back to the Senate Judiciary Committee with instructions intended to ensure the fund could not be revived.
That amendment failed 49-50. Three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio and Dan Sullivan of Alaska — joined Democrats in support of the amendment. All three are up for reelection in the 2026 midterm elections.
Tillis also offered an amendment that would have redirected money from the DOJ fund to fraud enforcement. His proposal failed 15-84. Tillis announced in June 2025 that he would not seek reelection after Trump threatened to support a primary challenge over Tillis’ opposition to the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
The package also faced procedural challenges from Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who ruled that four sections violated the Byrd Rule, which requires provisions in reconciliation bills to have a direct budgetary impact that is not merely incidental.
The affected provisions involved funding for CBP, DHS appropriations and additional funds related to screening unaccompanied migrant children.
MacDonough also ruled that $1 billion in funding for security enhancements connected to construction of the White House ballroom violated the Byrd Rule. Senate Republicans removed that funding from the revised package after the ruling.
The parliamentarian’s decision prompted Trump to pressure Thune and Senate Republicans to replace MacDonough.
The final vote delivered Senate passage of the immigration enforcement package after Republicans stripped out or worked around provisions that had raised legal, procedural and political objections. The bill now advances as part of the broader GOP effort to fund immigration enforcement and restore DHS operations through 2029.
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