US Senate Approves IDR 1,260 Trillion Budget for ICE, Border Patrol

The Republican-controlled United States Senate has approved a bill allocating $70 billion (approximately IDR 1,260 trillion) to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol. A total of 52 senators voted in favour of the bill, while 47 senators rejected it. The legislative package will next be debated in the House of Representatives. If passed, the funds will be allocated to the US Department of Homeland Security for fiscal years 2026 to 2035. Funding for the two agencies had been delayed since mid-February after Congress failed to reach a budget agreement amid controversy over the actions of ICE officers. In early January, immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sparked protests. An ICE agent shot a female driver who refused to stop and continued driving despite an officer standing in front of her. Soon after, a Border Patrol officer also shot an armed man. Both victims were reported to have died. State officials from the Democratic Party assessed that the federal agents’ actions violated the law. Meanwhile, the Republican Party accused local authorities and law enforcement of deliberately failing to cooperate in immigration enforcement operations and of provoking citizens, thus worsening the situation.