The House Appropriations Committee released a $64.8 billion funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the next fiscal year, with a bevy of priorities and policy riders aimed at countering or undoing Biden administration immigration priorities.
The proposed bill would divert $10.5 billion to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, adding another $1.2 billion to the Biden administration’s 2025 budget request. That includes $4.1 billion for custody operations, the bulk of which would go toward funding 50,000 daily ICE detention beds, “which is more than ever previously appropriated,” according to a summary of the bill released Monday.
Both the Biden administration’s fiscal year 2023 and 2024 budget requests sought funding for just 25,000 detention beds, while the 2025 fiscal year request asked for funds for 36,000 beds.
The House proposal would also set aside $600 million for required border wall construction, which would need to commence within about six months of passage, and would fund 22,000 Border Patrol agents.
