“Congressional Republicans want to expand ICE’s budget to an amount larger than most countries’ military budgets.” Warren warns as DHS funding fight intensifies
WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is urging Congress to reject what she described as a dramatic expansion of funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, weighing in as lawmakers continue to negotiate broader Department of Homeland Security funding with a deadline looming. In a post Monday on X, Warren said congressional Republicans want to expand ICE’s budget “to an amount larger than most countries’ military budgets,” adding: “I’m a NO.”
Congressional Republicans want to expand ICE’s budget to an amount larger than most countries' military budgets. I’m a NO.
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) February 9, 2026
The funding debate is unfolding against a turbulent backdrop for DHS, with lawmakers warning that failure to reach a deal could trigger a partial shutdown for the department if appropriations lapse. Recent reporting has described a fast-moving back-and-forth between Democrats, the White House and Republicans over immigration enforcement policy and oversight provisions as the DHS funding deadline approaches.
Warren’s claim about the scale of ICE funding reflects a larger argument critics have made since Republicans advanced major immigration-enforcement spending through separate legislation and budget maneuvers. A Congressional Research Service report on the FY2026 DHS budget request outlines an ICE total of $74.85 billion in the request, including large sums for detention capacity and operations—numbers that, if enacted as described, would place the agency’s resources in a range comparable to national defense budgets of many countries.
At the same time, DHS also has a more traditional annual “base” budget request for ICE. A DHS budget justification document for FY2026 lists ICE’s requested budget at $11.3 billion. Analysts and advocates have argued the eye-popping totals often cited in the debate reflect how newer, multi-year enforcement funding is counted alongside the regular appropriations process, rather than a single annual line item.
Republicans, for their part, have framed higher ICE funding as necessary to expand detention capacity, increase removals and bolster enforcement operations. A House Appropriations summary from 2025 described a proposal providing $11 billion for ICE—nearly $1 billion above the prior enacted level—while emphasizing custody operations and removal resources. House Democratic appropriators have argued the agency already received significant multi-year funding elsewhere and have pushed for what they call “guardrails” and oversight conditions in DHS funding legislation.
Warren has been among the lawmakers pressing for stronger accountability measures for DHS and immigration-enforcement agencies, particularly after recent incidents that intensified calls for oversight in the broader DHS funding talks.
For now, Warren’s post signals that the ICE funding fight is becoming a central flashpoint in the larger DHS funding negotiation: Republicans argue the agency needs more resources to carry out enforcement priorities, while Democrats and some advocates say the scale and structure of proposed funding demands stricter limits and transparency—if not an outright “no.”
