GOP Megabill Gives ICE $30 Billion With Large Bonuses for Agents

Plus, a 1% tax on migrant remittances.

WASHINGTON — After much deliberation, and with the Senate Parliamentarian yet to finish her work, Senate Republicans have motioned to proceed with the Big Beautiful Bill reconciliation bill, passing with a 49 to 51 vote (with Republican Senators Rand Paul and Thom Tillis voting alongside Democrats). Much of the funding remains the same in relation to immigration, with a few quirky exceptions, which I’ll outline below. The measure proposes over $175 billion in direct immigration-related funding for fiscal year 2025, reflecting a historic expansion of immigration enforcement operations under a Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump administration.

At the heart of the bill is $29.85 billion in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), designated to remain available through 2029. The funds cover large-scale personnel expansion, new deportation infrastructure, and digital enforcement technology.

According to the legislative text, ICE is appropriated “$29,850,000,000..…