ICE agents walk past a traveler at LaGuardia Airport, on March 28, 2026 in New York. (Photo: AFP)

The U.S. Senate voted early Thursday to adopt a budget plan that would fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for three years, taking the first step in efforts to reopen the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Republican lawmakers voted 50-48 to approve the 70 billion-U.S.-dollar budget resolution through budget reconciliation to bypass Democratic opposition. The measure now goes to the House of Representatives.

The DHS has been partially shut down since mid-February as Democrats have demanded policy changes following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.

If approved by the House, congressional committees will draft detailed appropriations bills. Once signed into law, the funding would remain in effect through President Donald Trump's term.