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The United States Senate approved a funding package for the enforcement of immigration laws on Friday, amounting to approximately 70 billion dollars, in a vote of 52 to 47, as reported by the AP news agency.
The measure, promoted by Republicans through the budget reconciliation process—which requires only a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes—allocates funds primarily to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The breakdown of funding includes approximately 38.5 billion dollars for ICE, more than 26 billion for CBP, and 5 billion at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the only Republican to vote against the bill.
The approval came after a marathon session of voting on amendments held on Thursday, during which the Democrats unsuccessfully attempted to block or modify the text.
The minority leader, Chuck Schumer, introduced an amendment to refer the bill back to committee and eliminate the controversial $1.8 billion fund from the Department of Justice known as "anti-weaponization," but it was rejected by a vote of 50 to 49.
That fund, created from a court agreement, was designed to compensate individuals who alleged that the federal government had been used politically against them, and it became the main point of contention during the debate.
The controversy sparked tensions even within the Republican Party: Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Cotton confronted acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a closed-door meeting, which caused the project's progress to be delayed for weeks.
The Department of Justice defended the fund by arguing that "not a penny" of the money requested for reconciliation would go to that purpose.
An amendment from Republican Senator Thom Tillis to redirect that fund towards the Department of Justice's anti-fraud efforts was also rejected.
Finally, the Senate approved the bill without including any restrictions on the fund, sending it to the House of Representatives, where action was expected next week.
The legislative process had several prior steps: on April 23, the Senate approved a budget resolution by a vote of 50 to 48, which laid the groundwork for this funding. In May, Congress separately approved the general funding for the Department of Homeland Security through September 30, 2026, but did not include any new funds for ICE or the Border Patrol.
The package approved this Friday is part of President Donald Trump's immigration agenda in his second term, which has prioritized the massive reinforcement of immigration enforcement agencies as a central focus of his domestic policy.
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