Senate passes $70B immigration bill, without limits on ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed legislation early Friday to fund President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies, after intense bipartisan backlash over a $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund threatened to derail the bill.

Republicans managed to push through the $70 billion legislation on a 52-47 vote after weeks of delays, funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol through the end of Trump’s term.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, was the only Republican to vote against the final package, which was also opposed by all Democrats. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., missed the vote.

The bill includes$38.6 billion for ICE, $22.6 billion for the Border Patrol, $5 billion for the Department of Homeland Security and $108.5 million for child exploitation investigations.

It does not include security funding for the White House ballroom, or any guardrails on the creation of a pot of money seen by Democrats and some Republicans as a “slush fund” to funnel taxpayer money to pay Jan. 6 rioters and other Trump allies.

The final vote, shortly before 5 a.m. ET, followed an 18-hour “vote-a-rama” during which senators could offer amendments. Senators from both parties proposed 29 amendments and motions before voting on final passage, with some Republicans supporting amendments that broke with Trump’s priorities.

Republicans ultimately defeated multiple attempts by senators on both sides of the aisle to codify ending or changing the “anti-weaponization” fund.

Eight Republicans voted in favor of an amendment that would prohibit payments from the fund to Jan. 6 rioters convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers, but the amendment failed to get the 60 votes needed to pass.

The bill now goes to the House, which will need to pass it before it’s sent to Trump’s desk for his signature. The House announced Thursday that it would no longer be holding votes on Friday, so any House action on the bill will wait until next week.

The contentious issue of the “anti-weaponization fund” forced Republicans to abandon plans to take up the bill two weeks ago. But problems have lingered as the Trump administration gives mixed signals about the fund.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before Congress on Tuesday that the administration is “not moving forward with the fund.” But Trump said he’s not ready to do away with it yet.

Democrats insist they won’t let up on the issue.

They have also vowed they will not fund ICE or the Border Patrol unless Republicans agree to new limits on the agencies after officers killed two Americans in Minnesota, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The two parties have been unable to agree on reforms.

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