House Narrowly Passes ICE Funding Bill With Democratic Support After Jeffries Declined To Whip Against It

Samuel Corum/Sipa USA, Sipa via AP Images

A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security narrowly passed the House on Thursday, 220-207.

Seven Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure, which ensures that DHS and its agencies, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be funded through the end of September. ICE will receive $10 billion for the fiscal year. But the agency has tens of billions more at its disposal, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated $85 billion to the agency last year. The staggering figure was more than most countries spend on their militaries in a single year.

While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) opposed the latest DHS funding bill, he did not whip his conference against it, according to The American Prospect. Citing two congressional sources, the publication reported on Wednesday that leadership was “recommending” that members vote against the legislation, but was not engaged in an active whipping campaign.

“They’re terrified of being labeled anti–law enforcement,” a source on Capitol Hill told the Prospect. “They want this to go away so they can talk about the cost of living more. Problem is, it’s not going away.”

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the lone Republican to vote against the bill. Four Republicans did not vote.

The seven Democrats who voted in favor were Reps. Henry Cuellar (TX), Don Davis (NC), Laura Gillen (NY), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Jared Golden (ME), Vicente Gonzalez (TX), and Tom Suozzi (NY).

Most Democrats have become increasingly critical of ICE, which has been using heavy-handed tactics when encountering immigrants and citizens alike. This month, ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, where ICE and Border Patrol agents have claimed sweeping powers, including being able to enter homes without a judicial warrant.

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