By Nolan D. McCaskill
WASHINGTON, June 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress moved one step closer on Tuesday to ending a stalemate over funding for immigration enforcement, as Republicans in the House of Representatives voted along party lines to open debate on a $70 billion bill.
The House was expected to vote on passing the measure later on Tuesday, which would send the legislation to the White House for President Donald Trump's signature. The Senate passed the bill early Friday morning, also along party
lines.
The bill would fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol for the next three years, putting it beyond the reach of partisan disagreements in Congress.
Democrats refused to back funding for immigration enforcement after agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. That disrupted funding for the Department of Homeland Security, leading to lengthy airport-security lines, until lawmakers agreed in April to fund portions of the sprawling department not involved in Trump's immigration crackdown.
Trump repeatedly upended Republicans' efforts to pass the legislation in the Senate with his support for $1 billion toward security for his White House ballroom and a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund that could compensate his political allies for allegations that the government mistreated them.
The ballroom funding was removed from the bill, and Republicans defeated amendments to impose restrictions on the anti-weaponization fund, which the administration has said will no longer go forward.
Democrats vehemently opposed funding for immigration enforcement after two Americans were killed, but they failed to reach an agreement with the White House on a package of reforms in exchange for their votes on funding.
(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; additional reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Mark Porter and Alistair Bell)
