By Terell Wright and Olivia Beavers

WASHINGTON -- The House passed a Republican-led $70 billion immigration-enforcement bill Tuesday, ending a monthslong stalemate over the slice of federal spending, and funding the contentious operations through the rest of President Trump's second term.

The bill, which passed 214-212, comes after the Senate narrowly cleared funding for the agencies last week, using a special budget process that allowed Republicans to bypass the 60-vote threshold for most bills. Congress had approved funding for most of the Department of Homeland Security earlier this year, but Democratic opposition had held up money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. Trump is expected to sign the measure into law.

"It's long overdue," said Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) about the bill in a Tuesday press conference. "We have to fund border security and immigration enforcement, and it's sad that Republicans have to do it on our own."

The bill's passage will end months of bitter gridlock that began in late January after Democrats refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security following the deaths of two American citizens during immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota. After a record-setting partial shutdown that threatened to disrupt air travel, lawmakers agreed to fund most of the DHS -- including airport-security workers and the Coast Guard -- and split off the immigration-enforcement portion.

"We believe that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people -- not give ICE another $70 billion blank check so that they can unleash brutality on American citizens and violently target law-abiding immigrant communities," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.).

California Rep. Kevin Kiley -- an independent caucusing with Republicans -- joined House Democrats in voting against the bill. Kiley expressed concerns about circumventing the normal appropriations process and wanted changes to domestic immigration enforcement enacted.

"I think it's a very bad precedent," said Kiley on Tuesday. "This is an area that is sharply polarized right now, where a lot of people are not trustful or have lost some faith in how operations are being carried out."

Republicans have a narrow majority in the chamber, and three GOP lawmakers and one Democrat weren't present to vote. Rep. Tim Walberg (R., Mich.) initially voted no -- leaving the floor locked in a 213-213 tie -- but then switched his vote to yes.

The Senate passed the measure on Friday morning after an all-night vote-a-rama on amendments.

The successful Republican effort came as new tumult emerged on the Hill. Trump recently named Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence, prompting Senate Democrats to say they wouldn't support an extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That power expires this week.

Democrats and some Republicans have sounded alarms that Pulte, a close Trump ally, could use his perch to target the president's perceived enemies and politicize the agency.

Write to Terell Wright at terell.wright@wsj.com and Olivia Beavers at Olivia.Beavers@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 09, 2026 17:59 ET (21:59 GMT)

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