WASHINGTON — A longstanding political stalemate in the U.S. Congress over money for immigration enforcement ended Tuesday, when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a $70 billion bill to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol through the remainder of President Donald Trump's administration.
The 214-212 vote, which was roughly along party lines, sends the partisan legislation to the White House for Trump's signature. Representative Kevin Kiley, a former Republican who became an independent, joined Democrats in opposing the measure.
Federal law enforcement officers clear an entry point Friday for vehicles during protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, N.J.
The Republican-led Senate passed the same bill late last week after a marathon voting session. Republicans used a fast-track process known as reconciliation, which allowed them to circumvent opposition from Senate Democrats.
Policy disagreements between Republicans and Democrats over reforms for immigration agents following the killing of two U.S. citizens this year led to a 76-day partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security this year.
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The shutdown ended in April, after Trump signed a bipartisan bill funding DHS agencies that are not involved in the president's immigration crackdown through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year.
The $70 billion will fund the administration's immigration enforcement efforts for the next three years without any of the reforms that Democrats sought.
