Senate approves $70 billion Trump immigration enforcement package after delays

The Senate cleared $70 billion to finance President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agencies, directing the money to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three years and giving the White House a major boost on its signature crackdown. The 52-47 vote came only after hours of delay, as Republicans struggled over whether to attach language that would permanently block a separate $1.776 billion settlement fund tied to Trump’s IRS lawsuit over the leak of his tax returns.

What had been pitched as a straightforward spending bill instead became a test of Republican discipline. Senators tried, and failed, to bolt on language that would kill the settlement fund outright, exposing how deeply the issue has split the party. The sharpest confrontation came when lawmakers rejected an amendment from Sen. Bill Cassidy that would have rerouted the settlement money to law-enforcement officers injured during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune made clear the settlement dispute was what kept the chamber working long after midnight. “This would have been done several hours ago if we weren’t having to deal with some of the issues around the fund,” Thune said. His remarks underscored the political price Republicans are paying for a fund many in the party view as a toxic payout, even as they pressed ahead with Trump’s immigration agenda.

The bill’s passage hands Trump and GOP leaders a concrete win on immigration enforcement, but it also shows the limits of Republican unity when the settlement fund is on the table. Democrats argued that Republicans were prioritizing more money for enforcement while refusing to shut down what they see as a legally and politically controversial arrangement. The House is expected to take up the legislation next week, where leaders will again have to balance Trump’s border priorities against continuing anger over the settlement.