U.S. Senate Republicans voted early on Thursday to advance a $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol for three years.
In a pre-dawn session, lawmakers voted 50–48 to adopt a non-binding budget resolution, sending it to the U.S. House of Representatives. The move marks a key, highly partisan step towards ending a partial government shutdown that has affected the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) since mid-February. Republican Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the measure.
If approved by the House, the resolution will allow congressional committees to begin drafting detailed legislation on how the $70 billion will be allocated. This legislation would require President Donald Trump’s signature to become law. The funding is structured to sustain the agencies through to the end of Trump’s presidency in January 2029.
With Democrats opposed to funding the President’s immigration agenda without concessions, Republican leaders plan to use the “budget reconciliation” process for the final bill.
This procedure allows certain budget-related legislation to bypass a Senate filibuster, requiring only a simple majority rather than 60 votes. Republicans currently hold a 53–47 majority, giving them a clear path to pass the measure without Democratic support.
The urgency is significant. Funding for most DHS operations expired more than nine weeks ago. The partial shutdown has left tens of thousands of federal employees working without pay and disrupted non-essential services. The impasse began when Democrats sought stricter limits on ICE and Border Patrol operations.
Democratic demands were intensified by public outrage after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.
In response, Democrats have called for ICE and Border Patrol to follow the same operational rules and oversight as police forces nationwide. A key proposal would require agents to obtain judicial warrants before entering private homes. Negotiations between Congress and the White House ended without agreement.
The Senate previously passed a measure to fund other DHS operations while excluding ICE and Border Patrol, but it has stalled in the House. A bloc of conservative Republicans has insisted that full funding for both agencies be included before any vote proceeds.
The scale of funding is notable. Last year, Republicans approved around $130 billion for the two agencies, separate from annual budgets and the additional $70 billion now under consideration.
The Senate vote followed a nearly six-hour “vote-a-rama”, with rapid votes on a series of amendments.
With midterm elections eight months away, Democrats used the session to highlight economic concerns, including rising fuel and healthcare costs. Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of seeking to “defund” border enforcement.
Democrats proposed amendments on healthcare costs, food assistance, childcare, and consumer protection. While none passed, some received support from moderate Republicans, including Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
Polling by Reuters/Ipsos suggests more than half of Americans are less likely to support candidates backing Trump’s deportation policies. Many also report financial strain from rising fuel costs, with healthcare remaining a top concern.
Despite divisions, the Senate unanimously approved a Republican amendment introduced by Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham. It creates a deficit-neutral fund to support ICE operations targeting individuals convicted of serious violent crimes.
Lawmakers rejected several other Republican proposals, including stricter voting requirements, limits on Medicaid funding for transgender procedures for minors, and cuts to foreign aid, science, and education to fund border enforcement.
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