US House passes $70 billion bill to fund ICE

The US House of Representatives approved, on Tuesday (9), a US$70 billion bill to fund ICE (US Immigration and Customs Service) and the Border Patrol during the remainder of US President Donald Trump's term.

The vote, with 214 votes in favor and 212 against, sent the partisan legislation to the White House for Trump to sanction. Representative Kevin Kiley, a former Republican who recently became an independent, joined Democrats in opposing the measure.

The Senate, which like the House has a Republican majority, approved the same bill at the end of last week, after a long voting session. Republicans used an expedited process known as reconciliation, which allowed them to bypass opposition from Democratic senators.

"We now have funding secured for three full years, and there is not a single Democrat here who voted for it," House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference after the vote.

"Political disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over reforms for immigration agents led to a partial shutdown of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) for 76 days earlier this year.

The shutdown largely ended in April, after Trump signed into law a bipartisan bill that funded DHS agencies not involved in the president's immigration crackdown until September 30, the end of the fiscal year.

Democrats have vehemently opposed funding immigration enforcement following the killings of two Americans by immigration agents in January. But they were unable to reach an agreement with the White House on a reform package.

ICE: Learn about the structure of the US immigration service

Source: CNN