The partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security—now in its eighth week—entered a new phase on April 13 as Senate Republicans unveiled a budget-reconciliation strategy to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without Democratic votes. Backed publicly by President Donald Trump, the plan would front-load enforcement money through the remainder of his term and bypass the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate. Majority Whip John Barrasso and Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham briefed the president last Friday and began drafting a budget resolution during the Easter recess. Under reconciliation rules, only provisions with a direct budgetary impact can survive, so GOP leaders aim to keep the bill narrowly focused on ICE salaries, CBP overtime and operational accounts that have been frozen since appropriations lapsed on February 14. The House returns on April 15, but Speaker Mike Johnson is signaling he will wait to see concrete progress in the Senate before putting the upper chamber’s short-term DHS patch to a vote. Meanwhile, the shutdown is pinching global mobility: thousands of foreign travelers face lengthening airport security lines as unpaid Transportation Security Administration (TSA) staff call in sick, and employer petitions that require ICE opinion letters are on indefinite hold. Business-immigration attorneys warn that worksite inspections could resume with a vengeance once funding is restored, citing historical patterns after the 2019 shutdown. Companies with time-sensitive visa extensions for executives or flight crews are instructing employees to carry proof of lawful status and allow extra time at checkpoints. If the reconciliation maneuver succeeds, a final bill could reach the president’s desk by June 1, ending the freeze on DHS payroll but leaving broader immigration-policy disputes unresolved. Mobility managers should monitor contingency plans, especially for summer travel peaks and for programs that rely on TSA PreCheck enrollment or Global Entry interviews—both of which remain suspended at many airports.
Source: Fox News Digital
