- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has received an unprecedented budget increase, with its annual funding rising from $8.7 billion to approximately $27.7 billion, and $75 billion allocated over the next four years.
- This significant financial boost, enacted under the president's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, positions ICE's annual budget higher than the military spending of many nations, including Iran and Turkey, placing it among the top 20 most funded militaries worldwide.
- The increased funding is intended to expand immigration detention facilities and significantly bolster staffing to support the administration's mass deportation agenda.
- The budget increase has sparked considerable alarm among immigrants and advocates, who fear more widespread ICE raids, detainments that circumvent due process, and a rise in protests across the country.
- Concerns include reports of deaths during ICE raids, arrests occurring at immigration court appointments, and deportations to third countries without proper legal hearings, as exemplified by cases such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
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