What is the Safe America Act? Trump signs Republican-led $70 billion immigration enforcement bill
president Donald Trump The Safe America Act, a Republican-led bill that allocates funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was signed into law Wednesday morning (ice) and the Border Patrol until 2029.
House Republicans successfully passed the reconciliation package on Tuesday, marking a major achievement for the Trump administration. The nearly $70 billion bill was delayed in the Senate for weeks before ultimately passing the lower house in a vote of 214 to 212.
Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.) joins democrat Vote against the bill.
What is the Safe America Act? Everything we know about the new legislation
The legislation allocates approximately $38 billion ice $26 billion for Customs and Border Protection, with another $5 billion set aside for unexpected expenses. It supports recruiting more agents, increasing deportations of individuals living in the country illegally and strengthening border security infrastructure. The funding supplements previous appropriations and ensures financial resources through the end of Trump’s current term, protecting the agencies from potential future budget disputes.
president trump card has made mass deportations and stricter border enforcement key goals of his second term. Republican leaders say the bill achieves those goals by ending what they say is Democratic efforts to defund agencies and giving them the resources they need to carry out a wide range of enforcement operations.
Senator Lindsey Graham says new law will fully fund Border Patrol and ICE
Sen. Lindsey Graham, D-N.Y., who chairs the Senate Budget Committee and is a key architect and supporter of the bill, said the bill would “fully fund Border Patrol and ICE” through the end of President Trump’s term, boosting a broad range of enforcement activities that Democrats have blocked.
“Republicans are doing something that must be done quickly, while our Democratic colleagues are trying to stop us from doing it. It’s simple: Fully fund Border Patrol and ICE at a time when America faces tremendous threats,” Graham said when he introduced the bill in April 2026.
Democrats condemn SAFE America Act
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, criticized Republicans for approving another big blank check for ICE and the Border Patrol without any reforms or even basic safeguards. She has consistently described these institutions as “out of control” and “terrorizing people, including American citizens.”
Democrats, who earlier this year blocked funding for homeland security standards while insisting on accountability measures following the January deaths of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Pretti involving federal agents, have strongly decried the standalone settlement as lacking new oversight or reforms.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asked her colleagues during debate over her “no” vote whether they would support oversight and civil liberties protections for use-of-force incidents involving federal agents. She sought clarification on “how are we going to deal with this use of force?”
Washington state lawmakers, all Democrats, oppose the Safe America Act and issued a statement of strong opposition.
Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA01) said she voted against the bill because it “lacks the necessary legal guardrails to prevent violence that threatens our communities and holds ICE agents and leadership accountable for their actions.”
