ICE faces budget shortage that could delay Trump's mass deportation plans
Source: NBC News
Dec. 18, 2024, 1:13 PM EST
The incoming Trump administration is already making plans to harness the power of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to vastly increase the number of undocumented immigrants deported from the United States. But it faces an obstacle: ICE is already dealing with a $230 million budget shortfall, even before the costs that will be associated with mass deportations, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the figure.
Even with the continuing resolution spending bill introduced this week in Congress, ICE will continue to face a funding shortfall the officials said, because its operations —including detaining and deporting migrants at the current levels — are outpacing the $8.7 billion annual budget currently allocated to it by Congress. The continuing resolution, which is expected to pass this week, will extend current funding levels, including funding for ICE, until March 14.
“We are running hot,” said the two officials, who spoke separately. They attributed the shortfall to the agency being historically underfunded and the increased need for ICE to remove migrants who are deemed ineligible for asylum, a number which has increased since June, when the Biden administration changed asylum policy.
ICE’s budget shortfall may mean Donald Trump would have to delay his plans to boost the agency and ramp up deportations on the first day of his presidency.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/investigations/ice-budget-shortage-delay-trumps-mass-deportation-plans-rcna184677