By Maribel Velazquez
The president donald trump promulgated this Wednesday the Score The United States Actlegislation that guarantees about $70 billion to finance the operations of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) and of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) until 2029.
The measure represents one of the White House’s main legislative victories on immigration matters and consolidates the border security strategy promoted by the Republican administration since the beginning of Trump’s second term.
The approval of the package ended months of confrontations. The House of Representatives gave the green light to the project by a narrow margin of 214 votes against 212while the Senate had previously approved the initiative through the mechanism of budget reconciliationa tool that allowed Republicans to advance legislation without depending on Democratic support.
Billions for agents, operations and technology
The law contemplates a significant expansion of the operational capabilities of immigration agencies.
Of the approved resources, $38.5 billion They will be allocated to ICE for the hiring, training and remuneration of personnel during the coming years. This item includes $7 billion for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)the division in charge of prosecuting transnational crimes and criminal networks.
For its part, the CBP will receive $22.6 billion to strengthen border surveillance, hire new agents and improve the equipment used at land crossings and ports of entry.
The legislation also reserves $3.5 billion for border security technologyincluding surveillance systems, monitoring and intelligence tools.
The biggest immigration bet of Trump’s second term
One of the most relevant aspects of the Score The United States Act is that Funds will be available until September 2029an unusual duration compared to traditional federal budgets that are usually approved for a single fiscal year.
The president of the House of Representatives, Michael Johnsoncelebrated the approval of the measure and assured that it will guarantee stable resources for the agencies in charge of enforcing immigration laws.
Following the ruling, Congress relinquished a significant portion of its oversight ability over ICE and CBP spending and operations. Furthermore, the legislation was approved without incorporating several reforms promoted by Democrats, including the mandatory use of body cameras by immigration agents and greater controls for housing operations.
With the presidential signature, the Trump administration obtains a key tool to sustain its agenda of preserving immigration control and border security for the coming years, as the president promised after his second term.
Keep reading:
- Senate approves Mullin’s nomination to DHS and paves the way for his confirmation
- Senate approves project to promote affordable housing
- Republicans block Democratic bill to fund DHS agencies that excludes ICE and CBP
