U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) budget has become the highest-funded among U.S. law enforcement agencies, reaching $85 billion following the enactment of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last July. This marks a significant increase from its budget of less than $6 billion just 10 years ago, when it was notably smaller than other agencies within the Department of Homeland Security.

The surge in funding positions ICE as the lead agency in President Trump's immigration crackdown, enabling the deployment of thousands of agents into communities across the United States. "With this new bill and other appropriations, it's larger than the annual budget of all other federal law enforcement agencies combined," stated Lauren-Brooke Eisen, senior director of the justice program at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan policy institute.

For years, ICE's budget had hovered around the $10 billion mark before experiencing a rapid increase due to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The agency's expanded financial resources are primarily allocated to enforcing immigration laws, including the apprehension, detention, and deportation of undocumented immigrants. The increased funding also supports the acquisition of advanced technologies and equipment used in border security and surveillance operations.

The Brennan Center for Justice and other policy institutes have expressed concerns about the scale of ICE's budget and its potential impact on civil liberties and due process. Critics argue that the increased funding may lead to more aggressive enforcement tactics and the separation of families.

The future impact of ICE's expanded budget remains to be seen, but it is expected to continue shaping immigration policy and enforcement strategies in the United States. The agency's activities will likely remain a subject of ongoing debate and scrutiny as the Trump administration continues its focus on immigration control.