Congress Backs Deportation
Congress Prepares to Allocate $70 Billion to Fund Trump's Expanded Deportation Initiatives
The U.S. Senate passed a $70 billion immigration enforcement package early June 5, giving President Trump a massive cash infusion for what he calls the largest mass deportation operation in American history. The final vote was 52–47, with Lisa Murkowski of Alaska the only Republican to vote against it, according to The Guardian.
The bill, known as the Secure America Act, nearly collapsed over GOP infighting before the White House agreed to drop a controversial $1 billion funding request for a White House ballroom. The Senate then cleared a procedural hurdle 53–46 on June 3, paving the way for final passage two days later, PBS News reported.
How $70 Billion Bypassed a Democratic Filibuster
Republicans used a procedural tool called budget reconciliation to pass the bill with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the 60 normally needed. That move was necessary after bipartisan talks completely broke down. Democrats had refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security without new limits on immigration agents, triggering a 67-day partial government shutdown — the longest in U.S. history, according to The Washington Post.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune managed a fractured GOP caucus through an all-night "vote-a-rama" of amendment votes. "Democrats would not agree to anything," Thune said, "so we will pass the underlying bill and be one step closer to funding border security." Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin called the bill a "blank check" for a "cruel mass deportation campaign," according to AP News.
Where the $69.5 Billion Will Actually Go
The bulk of the money — $38.5 billion — goes directly to ICE operations. Customs and Border Protection gets $22.6 billion. Another $3.5 billion funds border technology and screening, with the remaining $5 billion going to general DHS operations, according to the American Action Forum.
This is not Trump's first massive immigration funding push. In July 2025, Congress already approved $170 billion for DHS as part of a larger tax bill, AP News reported. Critics note that roughly $150 billion of that earlier amount remains unspent, raising questions about why another $70 billion is needed right now.
"Summer Sweeps" and the Real-World Impact Ahead
Border Czar Tom Homan wasted no time after the vote. "We're going to continue to arrest people, we're going to continue to detain people and we're going to keep deporting people," he told CBS News. Homan has already signaled that New York City is next in line for large-scale enforcement actions, according to AP News.
The stakes are enormous. An AP-NORC poll from April 2026 found one in three U.S. adults knows someone personally affected by Trump's immigration operations. A study by the National Foundation for American Policy warns the deportation drive could shrink the U.S. labor force by 6.8 million workers by 2028 and cost the economy $12.1 trillion in GDP by 2035, according to Forbes.
Controversy Over a "Slush Fund" With Few Guardrails
Critics on the left say the bill has almost no accountability built in. The final text does not restore the immigration detention ombudsman or require agents to wear body cameras. Rep. Jimmy Gomez called it a "slush fund to expand Trump's mass deportation agenda with even less accountability." Advocacy group America's Voice labeled it an "ATM for ICE" with "limitless" options for the administration, according to AP News.
A separate controversy nearly derailed the bill entirely. Republicans fought internally over a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization fund" intended for Trump allies who claim they were targeted by the IRS. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana pushed to ensure that fund was "genuinely terminated" before he would support the package. The White House ultimately dropped the ballroom funding but the anti-weaponization provision stayed in, drawing fire from both parties, AP News reported.
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