Senate passes budget plan to fund ICE, Border Patrol in effort to reopen Homeland Security

WASHINGTON - The Senate moved early Thursday to advance a plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, voting to approve a budget measure that would fund ICE and Border Patrol over Democratic objections and sending it to the House.

The department has been shut down since mid‑February as Democrats pushed for policy changes following the fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents. 

What we know:

Republicans are now seeking to fund the two immigration enforcement agencies through budget reconciliation, the same process they used last year to pass President Donald Trump’s tax and spending package without Democratic support.

"We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies," said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D, according to the Associated Press.

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Reconciliation requires only a simple majority, allowing Republicans to bypass the 60‑vote threshold needed for most legislation. 

The process, however, brings heightened scrutiny from the Senate parliamentarian and lengthy rounds of amendment votes.

The Senate began voting Wednesday evening and continued into early Thursday, with Democrats offering amendments aimed at lowering health care and other household costs to contrast with Republicans’ focus on immigration enforcement.

"Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans should be working with Democrats to lower out-of-pocket costs," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The Senate approved the final resolution 50‑48 shortly after 3:30 a.m.

Long effort to reopen Homeland Security

Once the House approves the budget framework and the Senate parliamentarian signs off, both chambers can move to pass the measure.

The Senate has already voted on a bipartisan basis to reopen the rest of the department, but House Republican leaders say they will not take up that bill until the Senate shows progress on funding ICE and Border Patrol as well.

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The $70 billion budget resolution would fund the two agencies for three years, through the remainder of Trump’s term. 

Thune and other GOP leaders say they hope to keep the bill narrowly focused on ICE and Border Patrol and send it to Trump in the coming weeks, alongside the broader Homeland Security funding package already approved by the Senate.

That may prove difficult as many Republicans view the budget bill as their last major opportunity this year to advance other priorities. 

Republican lawmakers in both chambers have pushed to add provisions including aid for farmers and Trump’s proof‑of‑citizenship voting proposal, known as the SAVE America Act.

Sen. John Kennedy, R‑La., briefly stalled the vote series late Wednesday, frustrated that the bill would not include parts of the SAVE America Act or other legislation. 

He later withdrew his objections, allowing the voting to continue.

Democrats push for reforms at ICE, Border Patrol after shootings

Democrats say any Homeland Security funding bill should include new restraints on federal immigration authorities, including clearer identification for officers and greater reliance on judicial warrants.

After federal agents fatally shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January, Trump agreed to a Democratic request to separate the Homeland Security bill from a larger spending package that later became law. 

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But bipartisan talks stalled, and DHS funding expired without an agreement on changes to the administration’s enforcement tactics.

In March, the Senate passed legislation by voice vote to fund the rest of the department, including the Transportation Security Administration, as airport security lines grew longer. 

The bill would have separated ICE and Border Patrol from the broader package. 

House Republicans refused to consider it, saying they would not support any measure that excluded immigration enforcement funding.

Congress then left for a two‑week recess, leaving the issue unresolved. 

Trump has used executive orders to pay some department salaries in the meantime, but the future of those paychecks remains uncertain.

Potential roadblocks 

During the congressional recess, Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson announced a two‑track strategy to move the Senate’s broader Homeland Security funding bill through regular order, while using a party‑line measure to pass funding for ICE and CBP.

Weeks later, Johnson has not said when the House will take up the Senate bill that would fund most of the department. 

It also remains unclear whether House Republicans will unite behind the narrower budget measure, as some members have pushed to add other priorities.

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Johnson said this week that the order in which the two bills move is important, noting that House Republicans do not want the rest of the department funded without ICE and Border Patrol.

Thune warned after the Senate vote that other parts of the Homeland Security Department could run out of money before Congress completes the lengthy budget process to fund the two enforcement agencies. 

He said he hopes the Senate’s adoption of the budget resolution signals to the House that Republicans intend to follow through.

"We'll see what they can do with it," Thune said. "And if they can't, I guess we will go to the next plan."

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