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Senate Republicans advanced their immigration funding plan early Thursday, after an all-night series of votes adopting a budget blueprint that provides billions for ICE and Border Patrol, bypassing Democrats.
Senate Republicans adopted their own budget proposal, which limits funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, and left congressional Democrats out of the process entirely.
It is the first major component of unlocking the budget reconciliation process, which Republicans are once again diving into after Democrats refused to fund ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without tough reforms.
Despite Republicans being largely on the same page on the approach, Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted against the budget blueprint.
Senate GOP starts all-night vote-a-rama to fund ice, Border Patrol until end of Trump’s term
President Donald Trump walks toward reporters before boarding Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on April 10, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized Republicans for planning to spend billions of taxpayer dollars instead of addressing rising costs.
“America is screaming for relief from high costs, and here you are adding $140 billion to an agency that no one respects – two groups – Border Patrol and ICE that no one in this country respects,” Schumer said.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., countered that ICE and Border Patrol agents were not the problem, saying, “The Democrats are.”
“Today’s Democrats are an evil and radical party,” Barrasso said. “You deserve better than recklessly taking Democrats hostage. You deserve the tools and support Congress needs to carry out the mission Congress has given you. Our country depends on you.”
Senate Republicans unveil immigration funding plan with $140 billion price tag as divisions simmer
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a news conference after the weekly Democrat policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on April 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Senate GOP plan would fund both agencies for the remainder of President Donald Trump’s term. Republicans want to burden the agencies with more than $70 billion over concerns that Democrats will never agree to reallocate taxpayer dollars to them.
As lawmakers hammered through amendment vote after amendment vote, Democrats crafted several add-ons to the budget blueprint designed to attack Republicans.
Several Democratic amendments targeted affordability and economic issues in the country, and failed along all party lines.
But the night was not without drama.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., who has pushed to broaden the scope of the upcoming reconciliation package despite GOP leadership and the White House’s desire to keep it in line with immigration enforcement, has threatened to derail the process.
Republicans look to end government shutdown forever, fearing Democrats will do it again
Senator John Kennedy, R-La., said a classified briefing reinforced his view that Iran’s leaders would use nuclear weapons if they obtained them during a Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing in Washington, DC. (Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters)
He wanted to include a number of amendments that were ultimately deemed unsuitable for the proposal and were destined to fail without the support of Democrats. One of those add-ons was a version of the Protecting American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.
Kennedy said, “If you don’t want to vote for it, don’t.” “I just want you to think about it, trust our rules committee, follow your heart, but also keep your head with you. Because the American people, both Democrats and Republicans and independents, are questioning our elections.”
His amendment ultimately failed.
Meanwhile, the adoption of the budget proposal does not immediately trigger reconciliation. The House will now have to adopt the same template or modify it — the latter would bring the proposal back to the Senate and trigger another marathon vote session.
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While Republicans are moving forward with the process in response to Democrats not reaching a deal on ICE and CBP funding, some are grappling with the impact it will have on funding to the agencies and, more broadly, the rest of the federal government.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told Fox News Digital that she was “disappointed that we are where we are, but I understand the need to fund these parts of this agency.”
“I’m really disappointed, because I think this fundamentally changes the way we move forward with appropriations, and not for the better,” Britt said. “And I’m not for that at all.”
