The Trump administrations’ already aggressive anti-immigration attempts are about to get a whole lot stricter if the House Judiciary Committee gets its way through the reconciliation process.

The news, issued in a press release last week, came days after LeadingAge CEO Katie Smith Sloan said that the Trump administration’s attempts at immigration reform could exacerbate direct care workforce shortages at a time when the demand for workers is increasing exponentially due to the rapidly growing population of older adults. Anti-immigration actions from the Department of Homeland Security threaten the future of aging services and must be reversed, she said.

But the Judiciary Committee said: “Our [reconciliation] provisions provide funding for at least 1 million annual removals, 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, and detention capacity sufficient to maintain an average daily population of at least 100,000 aliens. It also introduces a new series of fees that provide funding and resources to various agencies.”

The House narrowly passed its version of a reconciliation bill May 23 by a margin of 215 to 214, signalling division even among the Republican majority, some of whom dissented because they wanted even bigger cuts. All Democrats opposed the bill. The Senate is working on its own version.

The “big beautiful border security” provisions, the Judiciary Committee said, also would provide funding for “Remain in Mexico” policy enforcement, money for the screening of unaccompanied children for gang affiliations and funds for hiring government attorneys to accelerate removals, and it would codify permanent fees for immigration services, to try to ensure cost recovery and reduce the federal deficit.

Expanded immigration fees would result in funding and resources for various agencies, the committee said. For example, immigrants could expect to pay new visa application ($1,000) and work permit ($550) fees. Individuals appealing a decision by an immigration hub would be charged $900 fee to appeal a decision by an immigration judge and $900 to appeal a decision by the Department of Homeland Security. 

“We’re protecting taxpayers by ensuring immigration services are self-sustaining. This is about providing resources to enforce our immigration laws, make our communities safe again, and implement responsible fiscal policy,” the Judiciary Committee said.