
More details of the deal are being circulated internally by GOP staff on the Senate Appropriations committee, and a GOP source laid out some of the top lines:
On US Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
- There will be internal enforcement cap
- The deal provides funds for an average detention population of 45,274 (including 2,500 family beds).
- It also has another $750 million (available transfer/reprogramming authority) that can be used for additional beds. That will pay for another 13,000 beds and give ICE flexibility to bring the total amount of beds to nearly 58,500.
- Remember: 58,500 is an increase of 18 percent over the current detention population of 49,057. It is also 6,500 more beds than were requested in the President’s budget request and 9,000 more than the current detention populations.
- In short, there is more than enough flexibility for ICE to respond to any forthcoming surges in illegal immigrations and apprehensions.
On Trump's wall:
- The deal includes $1.375 billion for the border wall (Note: While Republicans are calling this money funds for “the wall,” Democrats say it is for barriers.)
- All of that funding can be used for new miles of border wall.
- This will fund approximately 55 new miles — double the amount of new miles provided in FY18 and nearly three times as much as would have been available under a continuing resolution.
- Border Patrol can use any currently deployed design (including steel slats)
- All of the miles will be in the Rio Grande Valley sector – Border Patrol’s highest priorities on its strategic plan