The Senate approved a $70 billion immigration enforcement package early Friday morning, sending legislation that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term to the House for consideration.
The measure passed by a 52-47 vote shortly before 5 a.m. after senators spent the night working through a lengthy series of amendment votes known as a “vote-a-rama.” The legislation now heads to the House, where lawmakers are expected to take it up early next week.
While Republicans broadly support increased immigration enforcement funding, debate over a separate $1.776 billion settlement fund tied to a legal agreement involving Trump and the Internal Revenue Service delayed final passage for weeks and consumed much of Thursday’s floor action, as reported [1] by The New York Post.
BIG NEWS: The Senate has approved a major immigration enforcement package, sending $70 billion toward ICE and Border Patrol operations over the next three years.
The measure passed 52-47 after an overnight debate, with Sen. Lisa Murkowski joining Democrats in opposition.… pic.twitter.com/P6zb7IWF6G [2]
— Wayne DuPree (@RealWayneDupree) June 5, 2026 [3]
The settlement fund stems from an agreement resolving Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the disclosure of his tax returns, which were later published by The New York Times as part of a report on his finances in September 2020.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, said the dispute over the settlement fund significantly slowed progress on legislation that GOP leaders had hoped would remain focused on border security.
“This would have been done several hours ago if we weren’t having to deal with some of the issues around the fund,” Thune told reporters shortly before midnight Thursday.
Although Thune has criticized the settlement fund, he spent weeks encouraging Republican senators to keep the bill centered on immigration enforcement rather than attaching additional provisions that could complicate its path through the House.
The issue intensified after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told lawmakers Tuesday that the settlement fund would not move forward. Even so, several Republican senators sought legislative language that would formally prevent any future payouts.
On Wednesday, Trump added uncertainty about the settlement’s future when he told reporters the settlement was “very important” and said, “I don’t know” when asked whether it was dead or merely on hold.
“I’d have to ask the lawyers,” the president added.
One of the first major amendment votes came from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York, who proposed banning the settlement fund.
That amendment failed by a 50-49 vote after remaining open for several hours. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Jon Husted of Ohio, and Dan Sullivan of Alaska joined Democrats in supporting the proposal.
Senators later rejected an amendment from Sen. Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, that would have blocked the settlement fund and transferred the money to a Justice Department anti-fraud account.
“If Blanche says this is largely inoperative, why not use this moment to codify that?” Tillis asked. “Otherwise, you’re exposing every one of our members who are in cycle to having to deal with this between today and Election Day, and that makes no sense for something that the DOJ says they’re not moving forward with.”
Another closely watched amendment came from Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican of Louisiana. Cassidy proposed redirecting settlement-related funds to law enforcement officers injured during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The amendment failed by a 52-47 vote.
Cassidy argued that despite Blanche’s comments, the settlement remained active and “absolutely can be used.”
The Senate also rejected amendments that would have prohibited payments to Capitol riot defendants who injured police officers.
Schumer criticized Republicans for rejecting the proposals.
“Leaving taxpayers to rely on nothing more than a promise from Donald Trump’s personal fixer. That is not accountability. That is a permission slip,” Schumer said.
Passage of the legislation ends months of uncertainty surrounding funding for federal immigration enforcement agencies. Democrats had blocked additional funding after the January fatal shootings of two anti-ICE protesters in Minnesota by federal agents, arguing that any new money should be paired with policy changes governing immigration enforcement operations.
Among the changes sought by Democrats were stricter identification requirements for federal officers and expanded use of judicial warrants.
After the Minnesota incident, Trump agreed to separate immigration funding from a broader spending package. Negotiations between the parties failed to produce an agreement, and funding for ICE and Border Patrol lapsed in mid-February.
This is exactly why Republicans are fighting for that extra $70 billion for ICE.
Democrats are crying about funding law enforcement while their policies keep producing dead Americans and traumatized victims.
In California, an illegal alien deported three times stabbed a… https://t.co/nuCv8bMWUc [5]— Summer (@EclipeByDeath) June 5, 2026 [6]
While Congress later approved funding for the remainder of the Department of Homeland Security at the end of April, ICE and Border Patrol continued operating without regular appropriations. The Senate’s passage of the $70 billion package now moves the issue to the House, where lawmakers will decide whether to send the measure to the president’s desk.