Trump signs $70 billion immigration bill to boost ICE and border security funding

Trump has signed legislation on Wednesday that provides funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) for at least the remainder of Trump’s term.

The US president has signed into law a $70bn funding bill for immigration enforcement, capping a months-long standoff with Democrats after the killing of two US citizens.

The legislation effectively locks in multi-year funding for the administration's strict immigration and deportation agenda through the remainder of his term.

That adds to a $140bn financial windfall the agencies received as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a tax-and-spending bill Congress passed last July.

The Secure America Act passed in a 214-212 vote that was largely along party lines, with Kevin Kiley, an independent who aligns with the Republicans, joining all Democrats in voting no.

The Senate approved the measure last week, which allocates $38bn to ICE, $26bn to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and $5bn more to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through September 2029.

Both ICE and CBP fall under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

In an Oval Office signing ceremony, Trump accused the Democrats of nefarious motives for seeking to block DHS funding.

“Congressional Democrats tried to block all funding for the Department of Homeland Security in a reprehensible attempt to throw open the borders of the United States of America,” Trump said. “They want to drag us straight back to chaos and crime.”

Immigration had dominated Trump’s re-election campaign, and the Republican leader returned to office for a second term on a pledge to undertake a mass deportation campaign.

Despite initially saying his administration would only target criminal offenders, the strategy quickly expanded to target individuals without criminal records.

According to a White House statement, the purpose of the Secure America Act is to provide “the resources needed to keep our border secure, combat human trafficking, stop the flow of deadly drugs, dismantle criminal cartels and enforce America’s immigration laws”.

Democrats have consistently objected to the legislation, especially following the Trump administration’s expansion of ICE operations in cities across the US.