# Senate passes $70B immigration enforcement funding without restrictions  
**Published:** 2026-06-05T13:11:29.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/republicans-push-70b-for-immigration-enforcement-through-us-senate-with-no-limits-on-ice/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/senate-passes-70b-immigration-enforcement-funding-without-restrictions

The U.S. Senate approved a nearly $70 billion package early Friday to fund immigration and deportation activities for the next three years without new restrictions on federal immigration agents, according to [reporting from the Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/republicans-push-70b-for-immigration-enforcement-through-us-senate-with-no-limits-on-ice/).

The 52-47 mostly party-line vote sends the measure to the House, where it could be signed into law as soon as next week. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski was the only Republican to vote against it, while Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet did not vote.

Senate Majority Leader [John Thune of South Dakota](https://www.senate.gov) said Republican leaders were forced to draft the package after Democrats "walked away" from negotiations that could have placed restrictions on federal immigration agents. The funding would provide $38.53 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, $26.02 billion for Customs and Border Protection, and $5 billion for the Secretary of Homeland Security, with the money available through September 2029.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argued the measure shows Republicans are more focused on funding deportations than lowering the cost of living. "Apparently, Republicans think we cannot afford a single penny to help Americans cover the skyrocketing costs of gasoline, of healthcare, of housing, of food, of energy, you name it," he said.

The bill follows a marathon overnight voting session Thursday and early Friday as Democrats attempted to add restrictions that would have placed guardrails on federal immigration enforcement. Democrats had pushed for safeguards including body cameras and preventing the use of masks by agents, citing two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents in Minneapolis in January. No amendments were approved.

The standoff contributed to a 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that lasted until late April. Republicans used the budget reconciliation process to advance the measure, avoiding the need for 60 votes in the Senate that would normally be required.

The Senate's approval came after weeks of delays caused by controversy over an unrelated $1.8 billion Trump administration "anti-weaponization" settlement fund. Multiple Republican senators attempted to add language banning the fund, but Thune argued the issue had been settled after acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified it would not move forward.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/republicans-push-70b-for-immigration-enforcement-through-us-senate-with-no-limits-on-ice/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/06/05/repub/republicans-push-70b-for-immigration-enforcement-through-us-senate-with-no-limits-on-ice/.