The president Donald Trump achieved approval this Thursday in the House of Representatives for a massive tax package that profoundly reorganizes the immigration system in the United States.
This legislation not only ensures the continuation of the tax cuts established in 2017, but also grants the Executive a historic budget flow to implement its ambitious plan for mass detentions and deportations of immigrants.
Promised as an essential part of his second term, the law will be signed—according to Trump himself—on this July 4th.
Amid cheers of "USA, USA" from the Republican side, the architect of their immigration policy, Stephen Miller, celebrated it as the "golden age" of the anti-immigrant agenda.
However, this project has sparked a wave of criticism due to its aggressive punitive approach and the significant social cuts that accompany it.
Next, we explain how this "megalegislation" will channel hundreds of billions of dollars for the massive deployment of immigration control operations, according to data recently provided by the Univision.
45 billion dollars to multiply the capacity to detain immigrants
The cornerstone of Trump's plan is the unprecedented expansion of the immigrant detention system.
Of the $80 billion projected for the immigration system, $45 billion will be exclusively allocated to expanding and operating detention centers between 2025 and 2029.
What does this imply?
It is estimated that annual spending on detentions will increase from $3.43 billion in 2024 to over $9 billion annually.
With these resources, ICE will be able to simultaneously detain around 100,000 people, more than double the current capacity (almost 49,000 slots).
Organizations like the American Immigration Council warn that the actual number could exceed 125,000 beds.
In addition, residential centers for families and individuals will be funded, such as the recently inaugurated one in the Florida swamps, which Miller presented as a model to replicate.
Reported risks:
-Medical negligence, overcrowding, and prolonged isolation.
-Lack of oversight regarding prison conditions.
-Opacity regarding the location of detainees, something already documented by ICE.
Analyst Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted that this expansion would make ICE the most financially supported federal security agency in recent history, surpassing the combined budgets of the FBI, DEA, ATF, and the Bureau of Prisons.
29.85 billion dollars for strengthening ICE and 2.055 billion for DHS
The second major source of funding is the operational strengthening of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and DHS (Department of Homeland Security).
ICE will receive:
Nearly $30 billion allocated to:
-Mass recruitment of agents and their training.
-Performance and retention bonuses.
-Expansion of mobile units and tracking technology.
Expansion of the 287(g) program, which permits collaboration between local police and federal agents to detain immigrants.
This program, especially popular in Florida (with nearly 300 active agreements since January 2025), transforms local authorities into immigration agents. With this law, such cooperation is institutionalized until September 2029.
The DHS will have an additional $2.055 billion for:
- Expand the Border Patrol (CBP) workforce.
-Strengthen transportation operations, deportation, and joint investigations with local agencies.
-Conduct background checks and anti-gang operations.
$46.55 billion for the border wall and technological surveillance
The third major budget allocation—nearly $47 billion—will be dedicated to strengthening the border with Mexico through new physical barriers and surveillance systems.
What will be financed:
-Construction and renovation of primary and secondary barriers.
Marine containment systems.
-Complementary infrastructure: roads, sensors, cameras, lights, detection towers.
-Hiring more border agents, with an additional $4.1 billion.
Over $5 billion for checkpoints and border centers.
- Recruitment bonds totaling over $2 billion.
This expansion coincides with record numbers of arrests at the southern border: more than 12,000 people were detained in a single day in May.
Experts link this increase to the end of the right to asylum, one of Trump's most controversial measures during his second term.
However, a federal judge recently blocked that decision, stating that the president cannot replace the immigration system established by Congress, opening a legal dispute that could alter migration flows and their budgetary consequences.
Critiques: "Social Betrayal" and deepening inequality
The fiscal package has generated deep rejection from progressive, humanitarian, and state sectors. The main criticisms include:
Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, condemned the law as "the ultimate betrayal," for leaving 17 million people without affordable health insurance and 18 million children without school meals.
Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, stated that the damage caused "can never be completely reversed."
Human Rights Watch condemned that Congress is channeling “billions of dollars into harmful immigration policies” while dismantling essential social programs.
Conclusion: a migration agenda funded by social cuts
The fiscal megaproject approved by the Lower House is not just an economic instrument; it is an ideological manifesto.
While cutting Medicaid and food assistance, it channels billions into the machinery of detention, deportation, and immigration exclusion.
The signing scheduled for July 4—an emblematic date for the American spirit—marks the beginning of a new phase that, according to critics, redefines the foundational values of the country.
With this new legal framework, Trump aims to leave a lasting mark: a deeply militarized immigration system, budget-protected until 2029, with human consequences that could last even longer.
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