‘More than it can afford’: Congress Angry over Trump’s ICE spending as White House demands ‘minimum’ 3,000 arrests daily

The Trump administration’s stronger efforts to enforce immigration laws are facing major resistance from Congress. This pushback is driven by the White House’s demand for a huge increase in arrests by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and worries that the agency might be spending too much money. The administration’s frustration with ICE’s performance recently led to changes in the agency’s leadership, showing the pressure to meet high deportation targets.

Kenneth Genalo, who led ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the division responsible for arrests and deportations, retired and became a special government employee advising the agency. At the same time, Robert Hammer, the head of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), was moved to a different position within ICE, according to Politico.

Following these departures, Marcos Charles and Derek Gordon, both longtime ICE officials, were chosen to replace Genalo and Hammer. ICE described these moves as a “leadership realignment” meant to speed up operations and help meet the administration’s goal of arresting and deporting undocumented immigrants considered criminals, per CBS.

The White House keeps demanding more arrests from ICE

Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, said publicly that the administration wants ICE to make at least 3,000 arrests every day, a number much higher than in the past. This aggressive stance has drawn criticism, especially following the illegal deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, which Miller defended.

This target, also supported by White House “border czar” Tom Homan, would mean a massive increase in immigration enforcement. Homan admitted he wants to “greatly increase” arrests, saying the current numbers are not enough even though they are already higher than under the previous administration.

This aggressive strategy has caused serious concerns in Congress, especially about how ICE is spending money. While many Republican lawmakers support more spending on border security, they are worried the administration might be breaking the Antideficiency Act. This law stops federal agencies from spending money before Congress approves it.

Rep. Mark Amodei, who leads the House subcommittee in charge of funding for the Department of Homeland Security, said he is concerned about not getting enough information on ICE’s spending, making it hard for Congress to check if the law is being followed. This is the future the MAGA crowd signed up for, and it’s expensive.

Other Republican budget officials, like Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, said it has been difficult to get up-to-date details because policies are changing so quickly. Democratic lawmakers have been more openly critical. They accuse the administration of spending more money than it has and possibly running out of funds before the fiscal year ends. Sen. Chris Murphy described the situation as the administration spending “more than it can afford.”

The White House, however, is standing firm. It argues that the extra spending is needed to meet its immigration enforcement goals and secure the border. The administration says the additional funding it asked for in a proposed “One, Big, Beautiful Bill” would make these efforts permanent. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson repeated the president’s commitment to securing the border and deporting undocumented immigrants, saying that “all of the tremendous success” so far could be locked in if the bill passes.

Additionally, the administration has reportedly told some agencies to start planning their 2025 spending based on the 2026 budget request, suggesting it might try to bypass normal budget rules. This approach could lead to a major clash with Republican budget officials who oversee federal spending. Rep. David Joyce pointed out the potential issue if the administration is moving money between programs before Congress approves the full budget.