DHS FY2027 Budget: Historic Immigration Enforcement Surge and Agency Cuts

トピック

DHS FY2027 Budget: Historic Immigration Enforcement Surge and Agency Cuts

要旨

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin, appointed in March 2026, presented the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 budget request of $118.3 billion to Congress in June 2026. This proposal, a 5.7% increase from FY2026, calls for an unprecedented surge in funding for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), while simultaneously proposing significant cuts to other critical DHS agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). This budgetary reorientation has ignited a contentious debate over national security priorities, the responsible allocation of taxpayer funds, and the operational conduct of immigration enforcement, further complicated by allegations of financial corruption involving private prison groups and concerns regarding congressional oversight.

本文

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin testified before the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Homeland Security on June 2, 2026, and the House Committee on Homeland Security on June 3, 2026, to detail the department's FY2027 budget request. The proposed $118.3 billion budget, representing a 5.7% increase over FY2026, includes a historically significant boost for immigration enforcement agencies, alongside proposed reductions for other core DHS functions.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin's Stance (Pro-Enforcement)

Mullin, who assumed leadership in March 2026 after his predecessor Kristi Noem was dismissed following fatal shootings by immigration agents, asserted that increased funding for border security and immigration enforcement is "absolutely vital" for national security. He emphasized DHS's charge to "keep our homeland safe" and "know who's coming in," citing "weekly apprehension of terrorists" attempting illegal entry and stating that "every other country vets people at the border." Mullin defended ICE agents, stating they are "simply enforcing the law that Congress passed" and are "not going outside the law," adding, "We don't pick and choose which law we decide to enforce. We enforce the law." He claimed ICE is "taking the worst of the worst off the streets" and CBP is "protecting our ports our port of entries and our borders."

Mullin also addressed concerns for DHS personnel, arguing that the "reckless tone" of critics endangers them. He reported an 8,000% increase in death threats against ICE agents, a 3,300% increase in vehicular damage, and a 1,300% increase in assaults, condemning violence at facilities like Delaney Hall as "well beyond peaceful protest." He justified his threat to pull CBP officers from airports in cities deemed "sanctuary cities" if local and state law enforcement do not cooperate, stating, "If that means I gotta pull them out of Customs and Border Protection from processing international flights, I will." Mullin challenged the opposition to "be honest" if they advocate for "open borders and amnesty," questioning, "if ICE can't do their job then who's supposed to be getting illegals out?" He claimed 120,000 missing children were rescued under the Trump administration, implying the Biden administration "turned a blind eye" to child trafficking, and defined DHS's mission as "zero fail." Mullin also projected the completion of the U.S.-Mexico "primary wall" by June 2027 and the "secondary wall" by summer 2028.

Opposition and Critical Perspectives (Democratic Senators and Critics)

Democratic senators, including Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), strongly criticized the proposed budget and DHS's enforcement strategies. Senator Murphy "slammed Mullin over the agency's immigration enforcement actions," alleging DHS has "deported people who have not broken the country's immigration laws and misused taxpayer dollars," accusing the agency of "violating the Constitution and the law." Murphy highlighted the expansion of the DHS budget to "over 10 times its pre-Trump budget."

A central point of contention involves alleged financial corruption. Senator Murphy pointed to reports that private prison groups, such as GEO Group, allegedly "marked up the price of several detention facilities by as much as 1,000 times its originally assessed value" before selling them to DHS at inflated prices. Specific examples cited include DHS allegedly paying almost $129 million for a property in Social Circle, Georgia, previously valued at $29 million, and approximately $123 million for a property in Sakuro, Texas, previously valued at $11 million. Murphy directly challenged Mullin to "stop patting the pockets of immigration industry CEOs" and "rein in this out of control over spending."

Democrats also expressed "beyond disappointed" that ICE and Border Patrol funding was advanced through a "partisan budget reconciliation" measure in May 2026, bypassing the bipartisan appropriations process and eliminating demands for reforms. Senator Murray criticized Republicans for funding ICE and Border Patrol "through the rest of Trump's presidency without including proposed oversight provisions," arguing this leads to "expanded, less accountable immigration enforcement." Democrats advocated for reforms such as body cameras, retention of footage, restored training and hiring standards, warrant requirements, an end to racial profiling, limits on enforcement in sensitive locations, and visible identification for officers, which they claim were ignored.

Critics highlighted the "cannibalization" of other critical DHS priorities to fund immigration enforcement. The FY2027 budget proposes a $707 million cut to CISA and reductions in FEMA's major programs, forcing lawmakers to judge a "fundamental reordering of what 'homeland security' means in practice." The proposed $4.7 billion "Southwest Border Contingency Fund" in the FY2024 budget was previously criticized as a potential "very expensive slush fund" for processing and releasing migrants. Concerns were also raised about Mullin's threats to withdraw CBP officers from airports in "sanctuary cities," with Senator Murray stating such a plan would be "dangerous" and could trigger "economic disruption." Senator Murray further highlighted the "inconvenient fact" that DHS is "on pace to exceed last year's record for deaths in custody," alongside ongoing scrutiny of deportation decisions and detention oversight.

検証項目

The DHS FY2027 budget request totals $118.3 billion, representing a 5.7% increase from FY2026 appropriations. The request includes $118.4 billion allocated for DHS to secure borders, enforce immigration laws, modernize the U.S. Coast Guard, refocus cybersecurity, enhance disaster response, and bolster state/local capacity. The net discretionary funding requested is $63.0 billion, comprising $60.2 billion in non-defense and $2.8 billion in defense funding, supplemented by $1.7 billion in offsetting collections from the Passenger Security Fee.

A key component of the FY2027 budget is an additional $18.5 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), representing a roughly 44% increase, and $10 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), maintaining ICE funding at the FY2026 level. These combined figures would constitute the largest single-year surge in immigration enforcement funding in DHS history. Conversely, the FY2027 budget proposes notable reductions for other agencies: the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is requested $6.1 billion (down from $7.6 billion in FY2026); the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is requested $4.1 billion (down from $4.7 billion in FY2026); and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) faces a $707 million cut. The Management Directorate is effectively zeroed out, with its functions integrated into the Office of the Secretary. The budget also includes $28.4 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund Majors account.

A parallel Senate reconciliation bill, passed in May 2026 by the Senate Homeland Security Committee, included $9.5 billion for CBP recruitment and nearly $7.5 billion for ICE recruitment, appropriated outside the regular budget process. Historically, DHS was subject to the longest government shutdown, lasting 76 days, due to congressional division over funding for ICE and CBP.

For FY2024, the President's budget request included $60.4 billion in discretionary spending for DHS, a decrease of $659 million (1.1%) over FY2023 funding, and a total of $103.2 billion including mandatory spending. This FY2024 request included $16.9 billion for CBP (an 8.2% decrease), $8.3 billion for ICE (4.9% below current levels), and $12.1 billion for the U.S. Coast Guard (up 3.6%). It also proposed $865 million for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a more than 300% increase over FY2023, intended to address naturalization and asylum backlogs and support an increase of 2,210 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff. A proposed $4.7 billion Southwest Border Contingency Fund was intended to aid DHS agencies in responding to migration surges, with an unspecified automatic replenishment mechanism if "encounters" exceeded a set number.

The Homeland Security Appropriations bill for FY2024 ultimately provided $61.84 billion in base discretionary spending and $20.3 billion in Disaster Relief funding. This bill included $19.6 billion for CBP (an increase of over $3 billion above the President's request), $8.3 billion for U.S. Border Patrol operations (an increase of $2 billion above the request), and $9.6 billion for ICE (an increase of $1.2 billion above the President's request). It also allocated $2.104 billion for an additional border wall and $496.2 million to fund 22,000 Border Patrol Agents. The FY2024 Homeland Security Appropriations bill explicitly rejected funding requested by the Biden Administration for initiatives such as a third Joint Processing Center for migrants (saving $165 million), Emergency Food and Shelter for migrants ($800 million less than FY2023), and a Case Management Pilot Program for migrants ($20 million less). It also eliminated the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (saving $21 million) and prohibited funding for the "DHS equity action plan" or "critical race theory."

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated on June 3, 2026, that the "primary wall" separating the U.S. and Mexico would be finished by June 2027, and the "secondary wall" by summer 2028. Mullin also reiterated a threat to pull CBP officers from airports in cities deemed "sanctuary cities." Mullin reported an 8,000% increase in death threats against ICE agents, a 3,300% increase in vehicular damage, and a 1,300% increase in assaults. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) stated that the DHS budget had expanded to over 10 times its pre-Trump budget. Reports cited by Senator Murphy indicate private prison groups, such as GEO Group, allegedly marked up the price of several detention facilities by as much as 1,000 times their originally assessed value before selling them to DHS. Specific examples include DHS allegedly paying almost $129 million for a property in Social Circle, Georgia, previously valued at $29 million, and approximately $123 million for a property in Sakuro, Texas, previously valued at $11 million.

補足情報

Further details on the conflict axes and arguments can be found in congressional testimonies, such as the one available at: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn_xpO2VCrU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cn_xpO2VCrU). Protests against ICE operations, including those at the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, New Jersey, have also been cited as contributing to the escalating tensions and reported increases in threats against federal agents.

根拠

Key statements from the testimonies underscore the core debate:

• DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin: "Increased funding for border security and immigration enforcement is absolutely vital for national security and homeland protection." He added that DHS must "know who's coming in," citing "weekly apprehension of terrorists." Regarding ICE, Mullin asserted, "We don't pick and choose which law we decide to enforce. We enforce the law." He also stated, "If that means I gotta pull them out of Customs and Border Protection from processing international flights, I will" concerning sanctuary cities.
• Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.): "DHS has deported people who have not broken the country's immigration laws and misused taxpayer dollars," accusing the agency of "violating the Constitution and the law." He directly challenged Mullin to "stop patting the pockets of immigration industry CEOs" and "rein in this out of control over spending," highlighting how "somebody is getting rich fabulously rich off Geog Group."
• Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.): Criticized the funding of ICE and Border Patrol "through the rest of Trump's presidency without including proposed oversight provisions," arguing this leads to "expanded, less accountable immigration enforcement." She also warned that pulling CBP officers from airports would be "dangerous" and could trigger "economic disruption."