This April 23, the United States Senate would have approved a financing plan of almost US$70 billion for him Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol.
The financing plan, approved by the Upper House of the US Congress, constitutes an effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS, in English), which has been closed since the end of February.
The closure of DHS was, in part, the result of actions by the Democratic side in Congress, whose members demanded changes in the immigration policies of the Donald Trump Administration after several incidents in where people were shot dead by immigration agents during raids.
This financing plan, approved with 50 votes in favor and 48 againstseeks to reactivate a process called “budget reconciliation”, with which the Republicans intend to reopen the DHS and thus overcome the Democrats’ blockade.
This process, which was used to promote a legislative package of tax cuts promoted by Donald Trump, requires a simple majority in the Senate.
“We have a multi-stage process ahead of us, but in the end the Republicans will have contributed to ensure the security of the borders of the United States“said Senate Republican leader John Thune.
The DHS shutdown, which began on February 14, is the longest of a federal agency in the country’s history and has caused long lines at some airports due to the absence of security agents.