Senate Passes $70B ICE Reconciliation at 3:30 a.m. (50–48); US Citizen Brian Morales Garcia Deported to Mexico

In an all-night Senate session, a budget reconciliation resolution passed 50–48 at approximately 3:30 a.m. April 23, instructing relevant committees to produce up to $70 billion in new ICE and Border Patrol funding via reconciliation — a process that bypasses the Democratic filibuster. The resolution must now pass the House before any funds can be allocated. The vote drew fierce Democratic opposition but Republican leadership used it as a show of force ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Separately, ICE deported Brian José Morales Garcia, 25, a US citizen born in Denver, Colorado, to Mexico after Texas police stopped the vehicle he was traveling in and called immigration authorities when he could not immediately produce identification. The case drew national attention as a potential violation of constitutional protections for US citizens, with immigration attorneys calling it an 'alarming precedent.' Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux also announced he would change his department's immigration cooperation policy after Texas Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withhold approximately $90 million in state security funding ahead of the FIFA World Cup.