President Trump signed the Secure America Act into law Wednesday, locking in nearly $70 billion in funding for immigration enforcement agencies through the remainder of his presidency. The legislation passed the House by the narrowest of margins in a 214-212 vote that broke largely along party lines.
The package allocates $38 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26 billion to Customs and Border Protection, and an additional $5 billion to the Department of Homeland Security. All funding extends through September 2029.
Trump signed the measure in the Oval Office, calling ICE and border patrol agents "heroes" and emphasizing the need to secure the border and protect national security. "We'll give the heroes of ICE border patrol the support and resources they need to defend our borders, protect our homeland, and to keep America safe," Trump said.
According to the White House, the legislation is designed to provide resources for keeping the border secure, combating human trafficking, stopping drug smuggling, dismantling criminal cartels, and enforcing immigration laws.
The Senate had approved the measure the previous week. In the House, Kevin Kiley, an independent aligned with Republicans, joined all Democrats in voting against it.
The bill ends a prolonged funding crisis that had paralyzed the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats had initiated a blockade of DHS funding legislation in January following the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, killed by federal agents in Minneapolis during an operation targeting undocumented immigrants. The agency subsequently shut down for 75 days beginning in mid-February, marking the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history.
Democratic leaders sharply criticized the spending measure. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries characterized the funding as a "blank check" lacking oversight or accountability, describing it as support for what he called "Donald Trump's violent mass deportation machine."
Author James Rodriguez: "This spending level essentially forecloses any meaningful debate on immigration enforcement for the next four years, leaving Democrats with little leverage and amplifying tensions over enforcement tactics that have already cost lives."
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