Federal immigration agencies could lose nearly $140bn under legislation that Ilhan Omar plans to introduce, redirecting the money to communities, businesses and organisations affected by Donald Trump’s enforcement campaign, the Guardian has learned.
The Make ICE Pay Act, expected to be unveiled on Thursday, would strip funding previously allocated to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
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It would instead direct the funds to states, local government authorities, non-profit organisations and small businesses struggling with the fallout from the administration’s immigration crackdowns.
“For over a year, ICE has been tearing through our nation, leading racist terror campaigns that have caused devastating damage to our cities, to our businesses and to the lives of our constituents,” said Omar, who represents Minnesota’s fifth congressional district, including Minneapolis and its surrounding suburbs.
Thousands of federal immigration agents arrived in Minneapolis and nearby areas beginning last December. The operations produced nearly 4,000 arrests and ended with the fatal shootings of two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. The resulting climate of fear and isolation also dealt a severe blow to local commerce.
“In Minneapolis, Operation Metro Surge cost our community nearly $700m,” Omar said. “We have a moral responsibility to end this abuse of power. Our bill will force ICE to pay the price for the damage they’ve left in their wake and ensure that these devastating operations can never be repeated.”
The bill would cover enforcement campaigns including Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois, Operations Swamp Sweet and Catahoula Crunch in Louisiana, Operation Catch of the Day in Maine, Operation Charlotte’s Web in North Carolina, and Operation Black Rose in Oregon.
Money distributed through the proposed programme could support economic relief, reimburse operating costs, help educational institutions and provide psychosocial services to people affected by the operations. It would also fund official investigations, commissions of inquiry, record-keeping, truth-telling and memorialisation projects.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s office of inspector general would oversee the programme for three years.
ICE arrests reached 49,571 in July, the highest monthly figure of Trump’s second term. That was 15% above the 43,021 arrests reported in June and 70% higher than the 29,241 recorded in February.
The surge in detentions followed assurances from Markwayne Mullin, now the homeland security secretary, during his confirmation hearings that the department would take a more moderate approach to enforcement.
Support for federal immigration agencies has weakened after a series of confrontations and controversies. A Harvard CAPS/Harris survey of 2,100 registered voters last month found that 47% viewed ICE unfavourably, compared with 39% who held a favourable view.
Omar was born in Somalia, came to the US as a refugee at the age of 12 and became a citizen at 17. Trump has repeatedly targeted her with racist rhetoric, contributing to death threats against the congresswoman. At a rally last December, as the crowd chanted “Send her back!”, the president said: “We ought to get her the hell out!”
