New spending deal keeps funding for ICE – just not as much as it wants

A spending deal to keep the government open until the end of September will continue funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but not at the levels that Republicans would want.

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees released the so-called “mini-bus” legislation to fund the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

Democrats have pushed to limit money for ICE amid thousands of officials from the agency descending upon Minneapolis and ICE official Jonathan Ross shooting and killing Renee Good.

As part of the bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which houses ICE, the bill includes $10 billion for the agency. But according to a one-pager from Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the legislation would only allow ICE to spend $3.8 billion of that money on detention.

Republicans’ massive tax cut package – known as the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” – included major increases for ICE. Chief among them included $45 billion for detention capacity and $29.85 billion for ICE enforcement operations and hiring up to 10,000 new agents. The money is also mandatory, meaning that it is not set by the current appropriations process.

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Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement, said a continuing resolution would allow for ICE to continue unabated without any guardrails.

“ICE must be reined in, and unfortunately, neither a CR nor a shutdown would do anything to restrain it, because, thanks to Republicans, ICE is now sitting on a massive slush fund it can tap whether or not we pass a funding bill,” Murray said.

The spending bill now requires the $12.8 million in new money for an inspector general’s office to oversee money from the One Big, Beautiful Bill. It also restricts the department’s ability to move money out of various other accounts including from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s office, ICE, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other agencies.

It also allocates $20 million for body cameras for ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers that have to be worn during enforcement operations. ICE and CBP officers will also have to undergo de-escalation training and will be trained on Americans’ right to record interactions.

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An additional $20 million will go toward mandated independent oversight of detention facilities.

Some Democrats have broached the idea of abolishing or removing ICE once they obtain power again. A YouGov poll from earlier this month after the killing of Good showed that 46 percent of Americans support abolishing ICE compared to 43 percent who oppose abolishing the agency.

But Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said in a statement that Democrats do not have much power to rein in ICE.

“I understand that many of my Democratic colleagues may be dissatisfied with any bill that funds ICE,” she said. “I share their frustration with the out-of-control agency. I encourage my colleagues to review the bill and determine what is best for their constituents and communities.”

She also echoed Murray’s remarks that a shutdown would not prevent ICE from receiving funding since the money it received from the 2025 bill was mandatory and cautioned against a continuing resolution, which would simply keep spending at current levels.

“A continuing resolution will jettison the guardrails we have secured while ceding authority to President Trump, Stephen Miller, and Secretary Noem,” she said.