Senate Parliamentarian Strikes Key Immigration Provisions From Trump Budget Bill
Senate referee strips immigration crackdown from budget bill, citing violation of reconciliation rules.
WASHINGTON — The Senate Parliamentarian, Elizabeth Macdonough, has removed several controversial immigration provisions from the sweeping budget reconciliation bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” striking down attempts to expand state enforcement powers, limit immigrant access to public benefits, and restrict judicial review of federal immigration policy.
The guidance, issued throughout the last week, deals a significant blow to the bill’s immigration enforcement framework, which critics had warned amounted to a backdoor overhaul of federal immigration law through fiscal legislation.
Among the provisions stripped from the Senate version of the bill:
State and Local Immigration Enforcement: A section (90005(b)) that would have allowed states to conduct border security and immigration enforcement—traditionally exclusive federal responsibilities—was removed for violating the Byrd Rule, which limits non-budgetary policy changes in reconciliation bills.
Sanctuary City Grant Restrictions