Rep. Ilhan Omar proposes bill to divert ICE budget to local communities, sparks conservative outrage
Rep. Ilhan Omar introduced the Make ICE Pay Act to move about $140 billion from ICE and Border Patrol funding to local relief programs, drawing fierce criticism from Republican leaders.
Ilhan Omar unveiled the Make ICE Pay Act, a proposal to redirect roughly $140 billion from the ICE and Border Patrol budget into community-level recovery efforts for neighborhoods impacted by immigration raids. The bill would channel money through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with oversight by its inspector general, and would expire three years after enactment. Omar framed the measure as a response to Minnesota’s “Operation Metro Surge,” promising funds for schools, health care, mental-health services, local-government costs, investigations and memorials.
Conservative officials slammed the plan, with Sen. Jim Banks labeling it un-American and Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders warning it would weaken border security. The proposal faces slim odds of passage while Republicans control Congress and the White House, and it has been linked to ongoing scrutiny of Omar’s personal immigration history by a DHS investigation.
Why it matters
The bill would shift billions from federal immigration enforcement to local communities, igniting a partisan clash over border policy and funding priorities.
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