House Republicans have passed a nearly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies for the next three years and the rest of President Donald Trump's term in office. The bill now goes to Trump to be signed into law. Democrats oppose the measure,with Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries saying the money would further fund Trump's "violent mass deportation machine." Meanwhile, Republicans said they were fulfilling their duty to safeguard the nation and support the men and women charged with enforcing the law. The funding comes on top of the nearly $140 billion that the Republican-controlled Congress gave ICE and Customs and Border Protection last year as part of Trump's massive tax and spending cuts bill.

With virtually no strings attached, Congress is on the verge of providing a massive infusion of cash to the Homeland Security Department. The $70 billion package that was approved overnight by the Senate and now goes to the House will be able to power President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda for the remainder of his term. A pro-immigration advocate says it's an "ATM for ICE." But for those aligned with Trump's campaign promise for the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, it all but guarantees an uninterrupted flow of money to carry out the administration's immigration enforcement operations.

Senators are racing to clinch a proposal to end the Homeland Security shutdown. The potential breakthrough in the monthlong standoff comes as airports experience long wait times. Democrats have refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security unless it made changes to its immigration and deportation operations. But unpaid Transportation Security Administration workers are failing to show up for shifts and at least 458 have quit altogether. Asked about the emerging deal Tuesday, President Donald Trump says he's not happy with any deal. The deal would impose some of the restraints Democrats have demanded on immigration operations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune says it's time to end the standoff.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has defended her agency in testimony and under questioning at a Senate hearing. She appeared before the Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as a backlash grows over deadly immigration enforcement actions tied to President Donald Trump's deportation push. It was her first congressional hearing since two protesters were killed in Minneapolis by Homeland Security officers in January. Noem's department sent hundreds of officers to Minnesota. Protesters marched and tracked enforcement activity. An ICE officer shot Renee Good. Border Protection officers shot Alex Pretti. The deaths led to demands for accountability. At the hearing, Noem blamed "violent protesters" for contributing to the chaos officers encountered.

Democratic leaders say a proposal from the White House is "incomplete and insufficient" as they are demanding new restrictions on President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and threatening a shutdown of the Homeland Security Department. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement late Monday that a White House counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend "included neither details nor legislative text" and does not address "the concerns Americans have about ICE's lawless conduct." The White House proposal was not released publicly.