Ilhan Omar brings bill to make ICE ‘pay the price’ for terrorizing communities

Key Points:

• US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar plans to introduce the Make ICE Pay Act, aiming to block nearly $140 billion in federal funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), redirecting it to local recovery efforts.
• The bill targets funds allocated under Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and seeks to compensate states, local governments, nonprofits, and small businesses affected by aggressive immigration enforcement operations.
• Omar highlighted the impact of federal immigration raids, such as Minneapolis's Operation Metro Surge, which resulted in nearly 4,000 arrests, two fatal shootings, and an estimated $700 million economic loss to the community.
• The legislation would support economic relief, reimburse operational costs, assist educational institutions, and fund investigations and memorial projects related to immigration enforcement actions, administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s inspector general over three years.
• Despite a recent surge in ICE arrests to the highest monthly total under Trump’s second term, public opinion has grown increasingly unfavorable toward ICE, with 47% of Americans viewing the agency negatively according to a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.