House Republicans seek to fund ICE before passing Senate DHS bill, complicating plan to end shutdown

House Republicans are pushing to pass a GOP-only bill funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement before accepting a bipartisan Senate measure to fund the rest of the Department of Homeland Security, a sequencing demand that complicates efforts to end the ongoing DHS shutdown. The party's rank-and-file members want to prioritize immigration enforcement funding, reflecting the Trump administration's focus on border security and deportation operations. This two-step approach creates a procedural hurdle for GOP leadership, which must balance hardline members' priorities against the practical need to restore full DHS operations. The House-Senate disagreement threatens to extend the shutdown, which is already among the longest in recent history. Passing separate bills requires convincing both chambers and the White House, a negotiation that could drag on if Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on spending levels or policy riders.