House narrowly passes ICE funding bill with Democratic support after Jeffries declined to whip against it

Posted For: MugsMalone

A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security passed the House on Thursday by a narrow 220–207 vote.

Seven Democrats joined Republicans in backing the measure, which funds DHS and its agencies—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement—through the end of September. ICE is slated to receive $10 billion for the fiscal year. In addition, the agency has access to tens of billions more from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which allocated $85 billion to ICE last year—an amount exceeding what many countries spend annually on their militaries.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) opposed the legislation but did not actively whip Democratic members against it, according to reporting from The American Prospect. The outlet cited two congressional sources who said Democratic leadership recommended a “no” vote but stopped short of mounting a full-scale opposition effort.

“They’re terrified of being labeled anti–law enforcement,” one Capitol Hill source told the publication. “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 only Republican to vote against the bill, while four Republicans did not cast a vote.

The 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).

In recent years, many Democrats have grown more critical of ICE, citing what they describe as increasingly aggressive tactics used against both immigrants and U.S. citizens. Earlier this month, ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis, a city where ICE and Border Patrol agents have asserted broad enforcement powers, including the ability to enter homes without a judicial warrant.

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