By Tom Ozimek
Contributing Writer
The U.S. Senate voted early on Thursday to advance a $70 billion funding blueprint for immigration enforcement agencies, moving Republicans a step closer to unlocking a party-line bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term.
Lawmakers voted 50-48 in predawn hours to adopt the nonbinding budget resolution and send it to the House of Representatives, overcoming Democratic demands for new restrictions on enforcement operations. Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, joined Democrats in opposing the measure.
If adopted by the House, the resolution would allow congressional committees to draft detailed legislation allocating the funds, which would require Trump’s signature to become law. The funding is expected to run through January 2029.
The vote marks a key step in Republican efforts to end a partial shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security that began in mid-February amid a standoff over immigration enforcement funding.
Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process — which allows passage by a simple majority — to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and advance the measure without Democratic support. The blueprint triggers a process in which committees fill in spending details in subsequent legislation.
In a post on Truth Social shortly after the vote, Trump praised Senate Republicans and urged party unity.
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senator Lindsey Graham, have taken a critical first step to passing another reconciliation bill to fund our great Border Patrol and ICE agents,” Trump wrote, adding that Democrats will “try to offer ‘amendments’ during this process to divide Republicans.”
Trump urged Republicans to “stick together and UNIFY to get this done, and to keep America safe.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., touted commitment to border security in signaling the party’s determination to pass the measure ahead of the vote in a late-night post on X.
“I’m headed to the Senate floor in just a few minutes before we kick off vote-a-rama. The @SenateGOP is working toward fully funding Border Patrol and ICE for the rest of the Trump presidency,” he wrote. “We will not go back to the Biden Open Borders Era.”
After the vote, Graham said he was “very proud” of his colleagues in adopting the budget resolution, which he said will allow the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees to write a reconciliation bill that allocates the $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
Republicans have characterized the funding push as central to national security, citing record illegal crossings under former President Joe Biden and arguing that enforcement agencies need sustained resources.
Senate passage of the budget resolution follows a marathon “vote-a-rama” session that began on Wednesday, during which senators offered various nonbinding amendments.
Democrats Object to Enforcement Expansion
Democrats have sharply criticized the plan, arguing it expands enforcement funding without accountability measures. They have pushed for provisions requiring immigration agents to carry identification, operate without face coverings, and obtain judicial warrants in certain situations.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., criticized the timing and priorities of the vote in a post on X.
“Right now, in the middle of Trump’s war with Iran, Senate Republicans are keeping us here all night to vote on the most pressing issue they can think of: Giving $70 BILLION more to ICE and CBP,” she wrote. “I’m going to fight them every step of the way.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., previously said Democrats would use the amendment process to press for affordability measures and constraints on enforcement spending.
The funding dispute has contributed to a partial DHS shutdown affecting agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Coast Guard.
Republicans are pursuing a separate bill to fund the rest of DHS, while advancing the ICE and Border Patrol funding through reconciliation.
The House must now approve an identical budget resolution before lawmakers can begin drafting the final funding legislation.
Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
