GOP Finally Defeat Democrats, Pass Bill to Fund ICE, Border Patrol for Years to Come
House Republicans passed a reconciliation bill on Tuesday on a strict party-line vote that funds Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through the end of President Donald Trump’s term.
The vote on the $70 billion bill was 214-212, with independent Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, who caucuses with Republicans, siding with the Democrats and voting “nay.”
The Senate passed the legislation on Friday, 52-47, which means it will now go to Trump’s desk for signature.
BREAKING: Republicans’ sweeping immigration enforcement and border security package cleared the House, ending a months-long standoff with Democrats over funding Trump’s immigration crackdown agenda.
The $70 billion measure passed 214-212 along party lines and now heads to the… pic.twitter.com/lBBzXRbGM9
— Fox News (@FoxNews) June 9, 2026
Reconciliation legislation requires only a majority vote in the Senate, bypassing a Democratic filibuster in the Senate, which they employed earlier this year against funding the entire Department of Homeland Security. Sixty votes are needed to break a filibuster.
NBC News reported that the Democratic filibuster resulted in the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history, which lasted 75 days.
Finally, Democrats allowed most of the DHS, including key agencies like the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard, to be funded in April, but only if funding the legislation split off funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection — which includes Border Patrol and related agencies. Democrats cited the deaths of protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti during ICE operations in Minneapolis as the reason for their stand.
Democrats demanded reforms, like requiring agents to wear no masks, use body cameras, and obtain judicial warrants before entering homes to apprehend illegal aliens.
Given leftists groups’ work to dox ICE agents and their families, Border Czar Tom Homan said the no masks demand was a non-starter. Further, ICE uses administrative warrants, when one is required, to apprehend illegal aliens. Requiring a judicial warrant for each apprehension would greatly limit the number of illegal aliens ICE could apprehend.
More than 7 million aliens crossed illegally into the United States during former President Joe Biden’s administration, according to the Pew Research Center.
Following the passage of Tuesday’s legislation funding ICE and Border Patrol, GOP Rep. Greg Steube of Florida said, “Hallelujah — they can’t shut them down now,” according to Politico.
Meanwhile, Democratic Rep. Grace Meng of New York said, regarding the bill, “We are asking ICE to not cause chaos and decrease public safety in our neighborhoods. They already got a huge lump sum of money.”
“So I think it’s more than fair that we ask for reforms before we give them another penny,” she added.
Politico reported that recently appointed DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified before the Senate earlier this month that “DHS agents are now seeking judicial warrants to enter private residences, unless agents are already in the midst of pursuing an individual who then enters a home.”
“Mullin also said that, starting in July, DHS will begin requiring 72 days of training for new immigration officers rather than the 42-day accelerated program the Trump administration has been using,” according to the news outlet.
Mullin accused Democrats of engaging in performative politics to appease their leftist base during the months-long negotiations.
He testified regarding Democratic senators, “You would never get to ‘yes,’ and so we walked away and did reconciliation.”
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