Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is set to become the most heavily funded law enforcement agency in U.S. history, surpassing the FBI in total budget and manpower. Under President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” ICE will receive approximately $75 billion over four years, including $45 billion for expanded detention capacity and nearly $30 billion for hiring thousands of new agents and increasing transportation for deportations.
The funding will allow ICE to grow its workforce from roughly 20,000 employees to over 30,000, eclipsing the FBI’s staffing levels. It will also expand daily detention capacity to 100,000 individuals by adding 80,000 new beds and constructing temporary “soft-sided” facilities. Lawmakers supporting the measure say the agency will now have the resources to conduct up to one million deportations annually, focusing on removing illegal immigrants with criminal records.
Critics warn of logistical and ethical challenges. Court backlogs, staffing shortages, and infrastructure limits could make such large-scale deportations difficult to implement. Human rights advocates, including the ACLU and Catholic leaders, caution that aggressive interior enforcement risks family separations, overcrowded detention centers, and due process violations. Economic analysts, such as those at the Dallas Federal Reserve, have projected that mass deportations could shrink the U.S. GDP by as much as 1.5 percent by 2027.
Supporters argue the funding restores national sovereignty and upholds the rule of law. They emphasize that the current immigration crisis demands strong action to protect border security and deter unlawful entry. Conservative voices in Congress maintain that deporting illegal immigrants reduces crime, lowers public costs, and safeguards American workers.
