Various immigrant rights advocates, civil rights organizations, and Democratic lawmakers are pushing back against a Republican-backed budget bill that includes an additional $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), arguing that the funding will expand the federal government’s deportation and detention operations while diverting resources from healthcare, childcare, and other social programs.
The criticism comes after the House and Senate approved the reconciliation package, delivering a major funding increase for immigration enforcement agencies that have become central to President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
Among the groups condemning the measure is MomsRising, a national grassroots organization representing more than one million mothers and families.
“It is simply disgraceful that Republican leaders in both chambers of Congress pushed through a measure that will add $70 billion more to ICE and CPB – two out-of-control federal agencies that are already over-funded and that are routinely violating the constitutional and human rights of people across this country. America’s moms are horrified that Congress and the Trump administration are ignoring the care and affordability crises that are undermining the health and wellbeing of millions of families, while instead pumping obscene amounts of our tax dollars into Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection with no constraints. Today’s House vote is truly outrageous,” said Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, executive director and CEO of MomsRising.
READ: Senate approves $70 billion immigration enforcement bill after dispute over Trump fund (June 5, 2026)
Rowe-Finkbeiner argued that lawmakers should be investing in programs that help families rather than expanding immigration enforcement.
“The country’s moms and families want lawmakers to fund care, not ICE. We want guardrails on the reckless, often lawless immigration enforcement that is separating families, putting children in detention, making baseless arrests, and detaining and murdering U.S. citizens. From Minneapolis to Dilley in Texas to Delaney Hall in New Jersey, and in so many other places, we have seen the abuses these agencies are committing. Lawmakers should rein them in, not reward them.”
She also criticized what she described as misplaced spending priorities.
“We want our taxpayer dollars to go to health care and child care, not to fund human rights abuses against immigrants, who power our care workforce, our health care system, and our economy. Our nation needs a safe and orderly immigration process that balances compassion and security, not cuts to health care – and certainly not cruelty.”
“We expect the lawmakers we elect to cut the cost of groceries, health care, child care, gas, utilities, and more. Like the Trump administration, Republicans in Congress are letting the country down.”
Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), echoed those concerns, accusing Republicans of expanding immigration enforcement without imposing new accountability measures.
READ: ICE impersonators exploit fear during Trump immigration crackdown (May 25, 2026)
“For over a year and a half, the Trump administration has deployed masked, untrained agents to racially profile our neighbors and terrorize communities across America. This chaos continues today, yet Republicans in Congress are giving ICE and Border Patrol another $70 billion to continue its mass deportation campaign without any accountability or oversight.”
Meng pointed to several incidents she said illustrate the impact of current enforcement policies on Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities.
“Nearly 70 percent of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders believe the Trump administration’s immigration policies have gone too far, and it is not difficult to understand why. ICE agents reportedly asked Minnesota residents to tell them where their Asian neighbors live. They broke into the home of a Hmong U.S. citizen without a warrant and dragged him outside in freezing temperatures wearing nothing but his underwear. And since Trump took office, 50 people have died in ICE custody, at least ten of whom were individuals of Asian descent.”
She said members of CAPAC had opposed any increase in funding for ICE that was not tied to reforms.
“That is why CAPAC members stood united in opposing any funding for ICE absent serious and meaningful reforms. Republicans had the opportunity to join us but instead chose to cut ICE a blank check to continue brutalizing our communities.”
Meng also criticized what she called inconsistent budget priorities in Washington, D.C.
“These are the same Republicans who claim there is not enough money for health care, food assistance, or education. But somehow, there is always enough money for masked immigration agents, lavish ballrooms, and foreign wars. The American people can see right through the hypocrisy, and they will not forget it.”
READ: ‘Soccer would not exist without immigrants’: Zohran Mamdani slams ICE crackdown ahead of FIFA World Cup (June 9, 2026)
Civil rights organization Stop AAPI Hate also denounced the funding increase, calling it a major expansion of agencies that it says have disproportionately targeted immigrant communities and people of color.
The group said ICE arrests involving Asians have increased by 600 percent under the Trump administration, while arrests of Pacific Islanders have risen 22 percent compared with the Biden administration. It warned that the new funding would further strengthen deportation and detention operations at a time when advocates are calling for greater oversight of immigration enforcement agencies.
Stop AAPI Hate argued that Congress should be directing federal resources toward housing, healthcare, and education rather than expanding immigration enforcement infrastructure. The organization also framed the funding vote as part of a broader political battle over immigration, civil rights, and the role of federal law enforcement.
The $70 billion funding boost is expected to intensify debate over the Trump administration’s immigration policies as lawmakers and advocacy groups continue to clash over the balance between border security, enforcement, and accountability.