The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a July 4 update on how the taxpayer money allocated to immigration enforcement in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) is helping keep Americans safe.
America's 250th birthday was also the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump signing the OBBB. Since then, Democrats in Congress have repeatedly shut down the federal government—or threatened to shut down DHS in particular—in efforts to deprive immigration enforcement of the resources needed to arrest dangerous foreign criminals. All the Customs and Border Protection and Coast Guard employees who did not have OBBB funding worked for weeks without paychecks. But the OBBB managed to keep all of DHS's agencies on life support despite the shutdowns, and has funded key projects.
In a July 4 press release, DHS provided a list for how the agency spent the OBBB money. The $165 billion in appropriations has gone much further than many massive federal allocations.
"It’s been one year since President Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill. The results have been, and will continue to be, absolutely remarkable for our country,” said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “This is what good government looks like: Over $1.6 trillion in spending cuts; no tax on tips, social security, or overtime pay; investments in new technology to secure our borders on both land and sea; and historic funding for ICE, CBP, and the Coast Guard to make America safe again.
Read Also: Federal Agencies and Officials Celebrate America 250
From the DHS July 4 press release:
$46.5 billion to complete construction of the border wall, with the primary border wall now planned for completion in late 2027.
$14.4 billion for removal transportation.
$12 billion in state reimbursements for states that fought against the Biden administration’s open border.
$4.1 billion to hire additional Customs and Border Protection personnel.
$3.2 billion for new technology and $2.7 billion for new cutting-edge border surveillance.
$855 million to expand CBP’s vehicle fleet.
The law also provided ICE with the funding to hire 12,000 new agents, which more than doubled the number of ICE officers and agents from 10,000 to 22,000.
The BBB provided ICE with enough detention capacity to maintain an average daily population of 100,000 illegal aliens and secured 80,000 new ICE beds.
The Big Beautiful Bill also fully funded ICE’s 287(g) program, which empowers state and local law enforcement to assist federal immigration officers.
Under the law, ICE and Border Patrol agents will also receive a $10,000 bonus for the next four years.
That's a sizeable bonus, but given the massive increase in death threats (8,000%) and attacks (1340%+) on ICE and Border Patrol agents, it's understandable.
Besides that, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) also received what DHS described as the largest update since the Second World War. To accomplish that, the OBBB funded:
$14.1 billion for USCG cutters.
$3.7 billion for USCG aircraft.
$6 billion for USCG infrastructure.
We have tens of millions of illegal aliens in the USA and God knows how many of them are criminals. DHS still has a massive task ahead.
Editor’s Note: Every single day, especially in this 250th year of America’s existence, here at PJ Media, we will stand up and FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT against the radical left and deliver the conservative reporting our readers deserve.
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