Trump signs bill to end record shutdown over immigration enforcement

Trump shutdown bill ends 42-day immigration standoff with wall funding boost

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

President Donald Trump signed legislation early Tuesday to end the 42-day government shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, after Congress approved $7.8 billion for expanded immigration enforcement measures.

The bill passed the Senate 61-39 at 3:47 a.m. and cleared the House hours earlier, ending a crisis that furloughed 800,000 federal workers and cost the economy an estimated $11 billion according to the Congressional Budget Office.

The shutdown began January 20 when Trump rejected a bipartisan spending bill over immigration provisions, demanding stricter border measures and additional funding for detention facilities. The standoff became the second-longest shutdown in American history, surpassed only by the 35-day closure of 2018-2019.

Trump signed the measure in the Oval Office flanked by Republican lawmakers who negotiated the deal through marathon weekend sessions. “We secured the biggest immigration enforcement package in history,” the president told reporters. “This isn’t just about keeping the government open, it’s about keeping Americans safe.”

The legislation allocates $7.8 billion for immigration enforcement, including $4.2 billion for border wall construction, $2.1 billion for additional detention beds, and $1.5 billion for expanded deportation operations. Democrats dropped their demand to limit detention capacity after Republicans threatened to extend the shutdown indefinitely.

The agreement funds the government through September 30 and includes a side agreement to consider separate legislation addressing the legal status of 1.8 million immigrants brought to the country as children. Republicans insisted the “Dreamer” provisions remain separate from the spending bill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune called the compromise “a victory for border security” while acknowledging the political damage inflicted on both parties. “Nobody wins in a shutdown,” Thune said. “The American people expect us to govern, not grandstand.”

Federal employees began returning to work Tuesday morning as agencies scrambled to restore services disrupted since January. The Office of Personnel Management instructed departments to reopen immediately, though full operations could take weeks to resume. National parks, museums, and federal courts had operated on reduced schedules throughout the closure.

Democrats criticized the final package as excessive but acknowledged their limited leverage after Trump refused to negotiate for six weeks. “We fought hard to protect federal workers and limit the damage,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. “This isn’t the deal we wanted, but it’s the deal we could get.”

Background

The government shutdown began when Trump rejected a temporary spending measure that included $2.5 billion for border security, far short of his $8 billion request for immigration enforcement. The president had campaigned on building a border wall and increasing deportations, promises that animated his base but faced resistance in Congress.

Previous shutdowns over immigration policy occurred in 2018 and 2019, with the longest lasting 35 days during Trump’s first term. Those standoffs centered on wall funding and ended with compromises that satisfied neither side. The pattern repeated in 2026 with higher stakes as Trump pursued more aggressive enforcement measures.

What’s Next

Congress must now negotiate the separate immigration reform bill addressing Dreamers by March 15 under the side agreement, though Republican leaders have given no commitment to bring it to a vote. Trump indicated he would sign border security measures but opposes any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.