President Donald Trump's immigration and deportation agenda is getting a nearly $70 billion boost through the end of his term. Trump signed a bill into law in the Oval Office on Wednesday giving $38 billion to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion to the Border Patrol. An additional $5 billion would cover unforeseen costs. The Republican president signed it a day after House Republicans pushed the measure through by a 214-212 vote. His signature ended a nearly six-month fight over Department of Homeland Security funding that began with shooting deaths in January of two U.S. citizens during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

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.

Armed federal immigration officers in tactical gear moved through terminals at some of the busiest U.S. airports Monday, standing near security lines and checkpoints after President Donald Trump ordered their deployment during a partial government shutdown that has disrupted air travel nationwide. The officers weren't making arrests or screening passengers. The Trump administration vaguely said they would supplement Transportation Security Administration staffing at certain airports. But after a year of intensified immigration enforcement and protests in cities across the country, their appearance at airport checkpoints has unsettled some travelers and raised new questions about how far their presence might extend.

A bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security is stalling out again in Congress. Republicans invoked the war in Iran and the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they tried Thursday to pass a bill funding the department. But Democrats blocked the legislation as they insist on changes to immigration enforcement operations. While the House will also take up the bill later Thursday, the vote will be more about putting lawmakers on the record again about where they stand. In the end, a bipartisan compromise will have to be reached to end a DHS shutdown that began Feb. 14.

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.

The Trump administration has issued a sweeping new order that could lead to the arrest of tens of thousands of refugees who are lawfully in the United States but do not yet have permanent residency. A memo filed by the Department of Homeland Security ahead of a Thursday federal court hearing in Minnesota says refugees applying for green cards must return to federal custody one year after they were admitted to the U.S. for reviews of their applications. DHS "may maintain custody for the duration of the inspection and examination process," said the memo, which was filed Wednesday.

Another shutdown for parts of the federal government is expected this weekend. Funding for the Department of Homeland Security is set to expire Saturday as lawmakers debate new restrictions on President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. The White House has been negotiating with the Democrats, but the two sides failed to reach a deal by the deadline. Unlike the record 43-day shutdown last fall, the closures will be narrowly confined, as only agencies that are part of Homeland Security will be affected. Still some federal workers could begin to miss paychecks and services like airport screening could be affected if the shutdown drags on for weeks.

The Trump administration is scaling back its immigration enforcement surge in and around the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, but state officials and residents say its effects on Minnesota's economy and immigrant communities will linger. Border czar Tom Homan says better coordination with state and local officials has allowed the operation to wind down. The surge was increasingly scrutinized after federal officers killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Homan says targeted enforcement will continue with fewer agents. People who attended a vigil Thursday at the site of Good's killing expressed continued distrust in the federal government, and some said they fear the crackdown will simply move elsewhere.