I'm going over the Congressional omnibus which just dropped and will share some thoughts.

Here's a copy of the mammoth 5,000 budget bill (which continues multiple bills unrelated to the budget as well). https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/BILLS-116HR133SA-RCP-116-68.pdf

First, on topline budgets. We're finally seeing a drop in ICE's budget, which is set at $7.85 billion. This represents the first time since 2015 that ICE's budget went down.

It's still the third-highest ICE budget ever, though, reflecting how hard it is to claw back the beast.

Congress has taken some steps to rein in ICE detention. Detention funding has dropped to 34,000 beds... which is about the level it was in 2014. So, again, progress, but very slow progress. A BIG increase in ATD funding, though!

From Leahy's summary: https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/DHS.pdf

Also jumping into the "Joint Explanatory Statement," a where the Committees direct the agencies to do certain things (in a way that kinda-sorta-depending has the force of law).

One major plus? We're finally getting public data on kids held in CBP custody! https://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20201221/BILLS-116RCP68-JES-DIVISION-F.pdf

Here's an interesting provision in the Joint Explanatory Statement requiring congressional oversight on DHS "pilot programs," which the Trump administration repeatedly used at the border, at times to devastating effect such as with the El Paso Zero Tolerance Pilot Project.

Here's another interesting data provision included in the omnibus Joint Explanatory Statement.

In its monthly Southwest Border reports CBP is finally going to have to disaggregate people who claim asylum from everyone else who doesn't.

/taking a tiny amount of credit for this