Trump Administration’s DHS FY2018 Budget Request, Increase on Immigration Enforcement and Border Security Funding

The Trump administration’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget request for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was recently released and highlights proposed funding increases across the DHS, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The proposed budget would increase the total DHS budget 7.1% from $66 billion $70.7 billion.

The FY 2018 President’s Budget proposes an increase of $2.9 billion for investments necessary for CBP to obtain operational control of the southern border, as directed by Executive Order 13767. The budget report noted that, “CBP is committed to identifying and allocating the appropriate resources to meet its requirements to secure the southern border, enforce U.S. immigration laws, and obtain operational control.” Its main initiative from this proposed budge is to provide a critical investment in frontline border security, budgeting for Wall Planning, Design and Construction ($1.6 billion); Tactical Infrastructure ($111 million); Southwest Border Surveillance Technology ($197 million); other Technology, Assets, and Equipment ($667 million); and Border Patrol Agent Staffing, Retention and Relocation, and Hiring Improvements ($147 million).

The FY 2018 President’s Budget supports immediate planning, design, and construction of the wall along the southern border. Of the $16.4 billion requested for FY 2018, a 21.6% increase from the $13.5 billion appropriated in FY 2017, it provides $1.6 billion for border wall construction, including planning, design, and construction to support 32 miles of new border wall system in the Rio Grande Valley Sector ($784 million), 28 miles of new levee wall in the Rio Grande Valley Sector ($498.4 million), 14 miles of new border wall system that will replace existing secondary fence in the San Diego Sector ($250.6 million), and planning for future border wall construction ($38 million); $15.5 million for southern border wall information technology; and nearly $5 million for mission and operations support hiring directly associated with southern border wall construction.

The CBP budget request accounts for 23.2% of the total DHS budget request.

The FY 2018 request for the ICE includes $1.4 billion for Detention Beds, ADT, and Transportation.  Of the $1.4 billion, $1.2 billion will be allocated to detention beds supporting an adult average daily population of 48,879 and a family average daily population of 2,500 for a total of 51,379 beds. The report stated that, “of the requested beds, 48,884 will be funded from discretionary appropriations and 2,495 will be funded by mandatory fees, allowing ICE to manage the illegal alien population apprehended along the southern border as well as an increased detained population resulting from the increased interior enforcement pursuant to the President’s Executive Orders on Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements and Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States.”

The FY 2018 Budget also includes an increase of $164.3 million for transportation costs associated with the increased detained population and an increase of $57.4 million to sustain an additional 14,000 participants in the ATD program, a flight mitigation tool used for some of the aliens on ERO’s non-detained docket.  Other categories receiving increases in funding are Law Enforcement Officer Staffing ($186 million); Critical Foundation Infrastructure ($23 million); ICE TECS Modernization ($20.3 million, case management system); and consolidated ICE Financial Solutions (CFIS) ($7.8 million).

The $7.9 billion requested for ICE in FY 2018 is a 29.4% increase from the $6.2 billion appropriated in FY 2017.

The ICE budget request accounts for 11.2% of the total DHS budget request.

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About ABCs of Immigration Law
The global economy has become increasingly transactional and transcontinental. Since 9/11, there have been many amendments to immigration laws in the United States that have largely affected both individuals and businesses. Cozen O'Connor's immigration law blog, ABC's of Immigration Law, focuses on the interests and the challenges faced by those individuals and business impacted by immigration laws.
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