Senate Republicans Eye Half-Trillion Dollar Immigration Enforcement Pivot

Sen. Graham's budget resolution amendment would ramp up ICE, starve aid for the vulnerable.

WASHINGTON — The Senate Budget Committee’s proposed budget resolution for fiscal year 2025 would, if passed, significantly reshape federal immigration policy by slashing funding for humanitarian and legal assistance to immigrants while expanding resources for border enforcement and detention infrastructure.

The House passed its budget bill, House Con. Res. 14, and sent it to the Senate. Budget Committee chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) replaced it with his own version, Amendment No. 1717, which the Senate is now voting on. A series of votes is underway to amend Graham’s substitute budget, making for a complex legislative process.

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Homan Asked Congress for a Half-Trillion Dollars

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has given committees the authority to spend as much as $521 billion overall, which Graham has been asked with keeping under $345 billion. Republican senators tell us tonight that the spending would be divided equally between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security; but concede that if the parliamentarian green lights all of their proposals, an unprecedented and staggering half-trillion could be spent, in theory.

The half-trillion dollar ask comes directly from President Donald Trump’s top immigration contractor Tom Homan who met with Republican lawmakers in both chambers last month to make the ask. The senate resolution now led by Graham, adopted along party lines, outlines a dramatic realignment in immigration spending priorities.

If passed, it will commit hundreds of billions of dollars to immigration enforcement, including undefined windfalls for Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) while scaling back or freezing funds for refugee resettlement, asylum processing, and legal services for low-income immigrants.

Immigration Enforcement Rises, Support Services Decline

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is set to receive an increase in funding authority through reconciliation instructions. These instructions allocate up to $90 billion in savings that can be redirected to security and enforcement efforts, including measures to "remove bureaucratic barriers and restore immigration enforcement," according to the resolution.

Spending for the Department of Justice, which includes immigration courts, increases from $83.1 billion in FY2025 to $109.4 billion in FY2034. This growth is aligned with efforts to expedite removal proceedings and reinforce the legal apparatus behind immigration enforcement.

Conversely, several federal departments and programs that provide services to immigrant populations face funding stagnation or decline. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), responsible for refugee resettlement and care for unaccompanied minors, is expected to see significant reductions as part of broader cuts to mandatory spending. The resolution calls for reconciliation procedures that include over $1.6 trillion in Medicaid-related savings—cuts that may affect non-citizen access to health services.

The State Department’s budget grows modestly from $66 billion to $72 billion over ten years, but the resolution signals a shift from humanitarian aid toward foreign diplomacy. Support for international refugee aid and resettlement, previously housed under the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, may be deprioritized.

Legal Support Shrinks

Federal legal aid to immigrants is another area marked for reduction. Programs funded under the Legal Services Corporation and Department of Justice that provide representation to asylum seekers and undocumented individuals are not protected under the resolution’s discretionary cap framework. These services are likely to face scaling down or elimination in favor of funding reallocation to enforcement agencies.

Administrative immigration services provided by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also face constraints. Without discretionary increases, USCIS may be pressured to offset costs through fee hikes or limit its services. The resolution includes no new protections for these programs.

Policy and Practical Implications

Taken on the whole, the Senate budget resolution promotes a policy environment that prioritizes restriction and enforcement over integration and aid. The financial blueprint supports expanded detention capacity, enhanced border surveillance, and streamlined deportation proceedings, while limiting federal assistance for those already within U.S. borders seeking legal status, asylum, or humanitarian relief.

The resolution states that "securing the border is a constitutional responsibility," and seeks to use budget reconciliation powers to expedite legislative reforms that strengthen enforcement capacity. While not binding, the resolution establishes a fiscal framework for upcoming appropriations and reconciliation legislation and reflects the Senate majority’s policy objectives.

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