Why a Government Shutdown Won't Stop ICE

"Between ICE's general authoritarian provocations and the lethal violence it has unleashed in Minnesota particularly, you can understand why some Democrats want their elected representatives to defeat a pending appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS appropriations are part of a huge package that also includes money for the Departments of Defense (or War, as the administration prefers), Labor, HHS, Transportation, and HUD."

"This so-called minibus is expected to be the last piece of legislation needed to keep the federal government running until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. In other words, another full government shutdown like the one that happened this past fall is already off the table. Killing the "minibus" would produce a partial government shutdown, assuming it isn't just replaced by another stopgap spending measure."

"While a partial shutdown might be tempting to those casting about for some way to interrupt or simply protest ICE excesses, it wouldn't really have much practical effect. That's because a central feature of 2025's One Big Beautiful Bill Act was to create a large reserve fund for mass-deportation actions outside the regular appropriations process. And so, as Senate Democratic lead appropriator Patty Murray explained, ICE is getting its money no matter what Congress does right now."

The DHS appropriations are bundled in a minibus funding package that also covers Defense, Labor, HHS, Transportation, and HUD and aims to keep the federal government running through September 30. Failing to pass the minibus would produce a partial government shutdown unless replaced by another stopgap measure. A 2025 law established a large reserve fund outside the regular appropriations process specifically to finance mass-deportation actions. ICE already has access to roughly $75 billion from that reserve, allowing deportation operations to continue regardless of current congressional funding votes. A continuing resolution or shutdown would not meaningfully restrain ICE.

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