RAICES Bulletin: Partial Government Shutdown Ends
TL;DR President Trump signed legislation on April 30, 2026, ending the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history by funding most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). However, the compromise excludes funding and also excludes reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), leaving current aggressive enforcement protocols in place while separate partisan legislation is pursued.
WHAT TO KNOW
Issue: President Trump signed legislation on April 30, 2026, ending the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history by funding most of the DHS. The funding package excludes ICE and CBP. Republicans intend to address enforcement through a separate partisan bill.
Rationale: It seems resolution on the shutdown was reached primarily to avoid additional missed paychecks for Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees. While Democrats attempted to leverage the spending bill to force reforms on ICE, Republicans rejected these proposals, leading to a compromise that funds the broader department while leaving ICE and CBP funding for a future party-line budget process.
RAICES Impact: No new restrictions have been placed on ICE and CBP tactics, meaning current aggressive enforcement protocols remain in place. RAICES should expect to see a continued need to stand with our client communities to fight back against the administration’s continued attacks.
Community Impact: The community continues to face significant risks as ICE and CBP remain well-funded and their operations were never disrupted by the shutdown. Furthermore, the administration's resistance to making any of the changes or reforms advocates have pushed for highlights their intent to continue their harmful policies and tactics.
Related Legal Battles: The political battle over enforcement is expected to intensify during the upcoming midterms. There are numerous legal challenges in the form of pending litigation seeking to address the administration’s various policies.
Broader Immigration Strategy: It is evident that the most harmful elements of DHS—ICE and CBP—were not in any real jeopardy of being implicated by the lack of funding. Advocates, particularly non-partisan organizations like RAICES, should continue to stand with the communities we serve in pushing for the most meaningful change possible.
