Government shuts down but ICE continues operating on $75B in shutdown-proof funds

When the partial government shutdown began on January 31, 2026, ICE continued full operations while other DHS components faced disruption. Congress had provided ICE approximately $75 billion through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — roughly seven times its typical annual budget of $10 billion — in multi-year budget authority not subject to annual appropriations cycles. TSA agents worked without pay and FEMA assistance was at risk of delay, but ICE enforcement operations were structurally insulated from the shutdown.