Senate passes immigration enforcement bill 52-47, splitting Alaska delegation

The U.S. Senate passed a Republican immigration enforcement bill 52-47 early Friday. The bill advances billions in new money for border security, ICE investigations and Department of Homeland Security operations. The vote followed a late-night fight over taxpayer-funded settlement payments tied to the Justice Department's Anti-Weaponization Fund.

Alaska's senators split on final passage. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, voted yes. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted no, according to the official Senate roll call.

Both Alaska senators voted for several failed efforts to restrict settlement payments at the center of the Anti-Weaponization Fund debate.

The Justice Department established the fund on May 18. A bipartisan House bill introduced May 21 by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., sought to prohibit federal money, including the permanent Judgment Fund from paying claims submitted to the fund.

Senators tried to add similar limits as amendments during debate on the bill. Those efforts drew support from both Murkowski and Sullivan, and in some cases from Senate majorities, but failed because they needed 60 votes under Senate budget rules.

The Senate then passed the broader bill.

The bill text posted by Congress calls S. 2 version the Secure America Act. It would add $9.55 billion for U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel, $7.45 billion for ICE Homeland Security Investigations, $3.45 billion for border security technology and screening, and $2.5 billion in additional DHS funding.

The posted text does not include an Alaska-only line item. Its reach here would come through federal agencies already operating in the state.

CBP lists Alaska ports of entry at Alcan, Anchorage, Dalton Cache, Dutch Harbor, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Kodiak, Nome, Sitka, Skagway, Valdez and Wrangell. The bill's border language includes the northern and maritime borders, not only the southern border.

For Alaska, that means the money could affect airport inspections, cruise and cargo ports, the Alaska Highway crossing, marine enforcement, air operations and federal investigations tied to trafficking, child exploitation, document fraud, immigration violations or cross-border crime.

The Alaska split is narrower than the final vote suggests. Sullivan backed the overall enforcement package. Murkowski opposed it. But both senators supported attempts to keep taxpayer money from being used for disputed settlement payments tied to the Anti-Weaponization Fund fight.

The bill now goes to the House.