US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax-and-spending proposal, called the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” has sparked nationwide debate for its tough stance on immigration. If passed, it would represent one of the most aggressive immigration crackdowns in modern U.S. history, dramatically expanding funding for enforcement while cutting support for social programs.
The bill allocates $150 billion over four years for immigration enforcement. A significant portion, $46.5 billion is earmarked to construct over 1,600 miles of new border walls and barriers. An additional $45 billion will be used to expand detention centers that house individuals and families awaiting deportation or immigration proceedings.
Tripling the deportation force
Another $12 billion is dedicated to hiring 18,000 new ICE and Border Patrol officers, effectively tripling the current deportation force. The administration’s goal is to ramp up deportations from the current daily average of around 650 to as many as 3,000 per day, a scale never before attempted in the US
Funding trade-offs
To fund this enforcement-heavy agenda, the bill proposes cuts to several key programs including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and clean energy initiatives, many of which directly benefit working-class and immigrant families. The bill also imposes steep fee hikes on legal immigration processes. Applying for asylum, which was previously free, will now cost $1,000. Work permits will be priced at $550, while the cost to appeal an immigration judge’s decision will surge from $110 to $900. Additionally, applications for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a lifeline for refugees and displaced individuals, will become ten times more expensive, further raising financial barriers for vulnerable communities.
The bill sets aside $1.25 billion to expand immigration courts and hire additional judges. However, critics argue this is insufficient to address existing issues such as long case backlogs, a shortage of interpreters, and limited access to legal aid. Alarmingly, there are growing reports of immigrants being arrested outside courthouses, even while attending scheduled hearings.
What is ICE?
ICE, or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is a federal agency under the Department of Homeland Security. It is responsible for enforcing laws related to immigration, border control, customs, and trade. ICE works to identify, investigate, and dismantle criminal networks that threaten the nation’s border security, economic stability, and infrastructure.
‘Funding for ICE is about to go from $2 billion to $45 billion’
Netizens are actively discussing the sharp rise in ICE’s budget, claiming that its funding now exceeds the entire defense budgets of several countries, including Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Switzerland.
big beautiful bill passing would make the budget for ice larger than most of the world’s militaries pic.twitter.com/SxPV7rEicN
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) July 2, 2025
Another used noted, “Pass the bill Debt doesn’t matter when you don’t have a country left.” “Well, when you have a multi year invasion of your border from countries all over the world then we need something like a military to protect the borders. That is the main purpose of the federal government to defend our country after all. I know the Dems WANT the invasion though,” added another. “we also have the largest illegal immigration problem of all countries,” claimed a netizen. “That’s what happens when you have to clean up after four years of “lax” enforcement of our immigration laws,” said another.