Trump's mass deportation plans hit by €1.85bn ICE shortfall
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is facing a $2 (€1.85) billion shortfall in the 2025 budget. This could disrupt Donald Trump's administration plans and prevent mass deportations.
What do you need to know?
- The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported to Congress a $2 (€1.85) billion shortfall in the 2025 budget.
- Congress plans to allocate an additional $500 (€460) million, which still won't cover all of ICE's needs.
- President Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations could further increase the agency's expenses.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) informed Congress of the €1.85 billion shortfall in the current year's budget. This information was reported by the "Axios" portal, citing sources in the administration. ICE's financial problems are not new, but the current plans of President Donald Trump for mass deportations could strain the agency's budget even further.
Congress reacts
Congress intends to allocate an additional €460 million to ICE as part of a temporary spending bill adopted by the House of Representatives. However, as noted by "Axios," this amount will not be sufficient to cover all costs related to the planned activities. The increase in expenditures is due to the need for hiring new employees, increasing detention space, and more frequent deportation flights.
From 2014 to 2023, ICE regularly exceeded its budget, which forced the agency to rely on funds from other institutions. Tom Homan, responsible for deportations in the White House, has been informing the media for weeks about the need to increase funding for immigration agencies.
Setareh Ghandehari from the Detention Watch Network, an organisation opposed to migrant detention said that whenever ICE faces budget negotiations, it tends to overspend to justify increased allocations.
