Senate lawmakers have narrowly approved a massive spending bill that — if approved by the U.S. House — would supercharge funding for immigration enforcement.
Vice President JD Vance broke a deadlocked Senate vote this week, allowing the Senate version of President Donald Trump’s so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill" to move forward and closer to being signed into law.
If passed, it would give $150 billion worth of funding to immigration and border enforcement agencies.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will get some $45 billion for family and adult detention alone — up from the roughly $8 billion annual budget the agency gets now. The new amount would give ICE more than 60% more funding that the entire Federal Bureau of Prisons budget, according to an analysis from the American Immigration Council.
Another $30 billion will go toward new ICE personnel and expanded enforcement, and $59 billion will go toward Customs and Border Protection for more border wall, Border Patrol agents and surveillance.
More than 56,000 people are detained by ICE nationwide now, well over the agency’s current 41,000 bed capacity. The bill would allow the agency to detain as many as 116,000 people at once.
Last month, ICE also moved to limit congressional oversight visits to detention centers, despite lawmakers’ legal authority to tour facilities unannounced.
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An Arizona tribal member got mixed up in a close-call mistake made by local authorities at an Iowa jail after nearly being turned over to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. -
The U-visa is approved in limited quantities to immigrant victims of certain crimes who agree to work with law enforcement. If approved, it provides a path to a green card and a work permit. -
The Tucson Baseball Team was scheduled to host its fifth home series game at Tucson’s Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium starting Nov. 18. But the team says it’ll be playing those games in Mexicali, Mexico, instead amid ongoing issues getting U.S. visas. -
The complaints come at the same time as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum navigates delicate negotiations with the Trump administration, one analyst says. -
The Trump administration could now deny immigrants' visas based on medical conditions like diabetes or heart disease.
