The US Congress has approved billions in funding that the government of US President Donald Trump can use to implement its controversial migration policy.
June 10, 2026, 05:47June 10, 2026, 05:47
A corresponding bill passed the Senate with a vote of 214 to 212 and now also narrowly passed the House of Representatives and must be signed by Trump before it comes into force. The draft provides for almost 70 billion US dollars (more than 60 billion euros) to finance, among other things, the immigration authorities ICE and the border protection authority CBP until 2029.
The US Congress approves billions of dollars for ICE.Image: keystone
This sets the stage for Trump to continue to enforce his aggressive deportation policy until the end of his second term in office. This is a setback for the Democrats, as they had tried to tie additional funding to stricter requirements for the work of migration officials. This was particularly triggered by the fatal shooting of two US citizens by federal officials during operations in the US state of Minnesota at the beginning of the year.
A dispute then broke out in Congress over the budget of the Department of Homeland Security, to which the migration authorities are responsible. The result: a partial standstill in government business. The months-long dispute was largely resolved in the spring – although Democrats and Republicans did not agree on further funding for ICE and CBP at the time.
Republicans secure funds through special procedures
The Republicans now used a special procedure (“reconciliation”) in Congress to secure funds for the migration authorities even without the consent of the Democrats.
The civil rights organization American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized this at the end of last week after the law passed the Senate. She pointed out that funds were already made available for the Department of Homeland Security through such a special procedure last year. “Once again, President Trump’s allies in Congress are bypassing normal parliamentary procedures,” complained Kate Voigt of the ACLU in a statement.
The passage of the law was recently delayed due to resistance – including within the Republican Party – to other political projects of the Trump administration. (sda/dpa)