Asian American lawmakers and advocacy groups condemned Congress’ approval of a $70 billion immigration enforcement bill, saying it gives ICE unchecked power to target their communities.
About the funding
The Republican-controlled House passed the bill last Tuesday in a 214-212 vote, sending it to the White House after the GOP-led Senate approved it last Friday on a 52-47 vote. Facing unified Democratic opposition, Republicans pushed the legislation through via budget reconciliation, a procedural tool that bypasses the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold and allows passage by a simple majority. The bill funds ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through the remainder of President Donald Trump’s second term.
Trump signed the package at an Oval Office ceremony last Wednesday, saying it would give “the heroes of ICE and border patrol … the support and resources they need to defend our borders, protect our homeland and to keep America safe.”
The vote followed months of delays, including a 76-day partial DHS shutdown and disputes over a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and $1 billion in White House ballroom security. The ballroom provision was ultimately removed from the bill, while the administration separately said the anti-weaponization fund would not go forward.
What they’re saying
The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), led by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), condemned the bill as a mandate for unchecked mass deportation. “Republicans in Congress are giving ICE and Border Patrol another $70 billion to continue its mass deportation campaign without any accountability or oversight,” CAPAC said, adding that they “had the opportunity to join us but instead chose to cut ICE a blank check to continue brutalizing our communities.” The caucus also noted that “somehow, there is always enough money for masked immigration agents, lavish ballrooms and foreign wars.”
Nonprofit Stop AAPI Hate echoed that alarm, calling the vote an expansion of agencies already “terrorizing our communities, racially profiling people of color, violating our constitutional rights and detaining immigrant families in overcrowded and abusive prisons.” The group said Congress prioritized enforcement and mass incarceration over “public investment in housing, healthcare and education.”
Why this matters
The consequences are, of course, real for many Asian Americans. For starters, at least 10 of the 50 people who have died in ICE custody since Trump took office were of Asian descent. In Minnesota earlier this year, residents were questioned on where their Asian neighbors specifically lived. Stop AAPI Hate added that ICE arrests of Asian people have surged 600% and arrests of Pacific Islander people 22% compared to the Biden administration.
Meanwhile, Trump also called on congressional Republicans to pass a separate $350 billion military spending bill under reconciliation rules, signaling the administration’s legislative push is far from over.
This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices.
