ICE budget at center of debate to fund the government

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published January 21, 2026 at 12:05 PM EST

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shoots pepper spray at a protester outside of the Bishop Whipple Federal Building, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Minneapolis. (Jen Golbeck/AP)

Here & Now‘s Indira Lakshmanan speaks with Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) about the debate among Democrats in Congress over funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

House lawmakers are preparing to vote on a bill that would increase funding for ICE while also instituting some reforms. A surge of immigration agents in Minnesota has sparked violent confrontations.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.