Crisis Looms: U.S. Immigration Agency Short $2 Billion for the Year

Citing anonymous sources, Axios reported on Friday that the U.S. Immigration Agency told Congress it had a funding shortfall of $2 billion for this fiscal year.

Two sources familiar with the communications were cited in the report to confirm that Congress will send U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement $500 million more as part of the stop-gap measure. This will not allow the agency to carry on its work beyond the end of September.

The funding shortage for ICE comes as the number of arrests has increased since Donald Trump was elected president in January. Trump has promised to deport a record number of people who have illegally migrated into the U.S.

ICE has reached its maximum capacity of detention with 47,600 prisoners. Thanks to support from the U.S. Marshals Service, Bureau of Prisons, and U.S. Defense Department, the agency is increasing the number of beds available for detainees.

According to its website, the agency’s annual budget is approximately $8 billion. The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a stop-gap bill to keep federal agencies funded.

The bill extends funding until the end of the fiscal year, September 30. It cuts some domestic programs to offset increases to defense, veterans’ care, and border safety.

A spokesperson for the agency told reporters that ICE was working with U.S. lawmakers to secure additional funding for detention.

Trump’s plans for immigration would result in higher costs. They include adding hundreds of people to ICE, doubling their detention capacity, and increasing deportation flights.