After four years of unchecked immigration under Joe Biden, the Justice Department under President Donald Trump is pursuing a remedy for the impact caused by a steady stream of individuals allowed to enter the country illegally.
Reports indicate about $3 billion in federal money will be available to communities interested in being a part of that solution.
The grant program has an apt acronym, as Breitbart reported:
The grants, being called the Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide (BIDEN) program, is one of the biggest grant programs the DOJ has ever offered and is aimed at helping cities hire more police officers, upgrade technology, and build temporary detention facilities for illegal migrants, the Washington Post reported.
ADVERTISEMENTBut there is one provision that is non-negotiable. The municipalities that apply for the grants must pledge to work with federal immigration authorities as they carry out federal immigration policies. The jurisdictions that apply must agree to “fully participate” in the ICE 287(g) partnership that links local law enforcement to ICE and other federal immigration enforcement agencies.
“This Department of Justice is committed to ensuring Biden-era border disasters never happen again,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. “We are proud to once again champion law and order.”
The description of the program explains that the grant dollars are intended for “locating and apprehending aliens who have committed a crime under federal, state, or local law, in addition to being unlawfully present in the United States.”
The DOJ also notes that some of the money may be expected to come back to the federal government as reimbursement for “the costs associated with federal law enforcement intervention” should federal resources have to be spent “to reduce crime or public disorder” related to immigration enforcement actions.
The initiative has sparked some interest on social media:
I'd say that is pretty good incentive to get these people out of our country.
Excellent job @doj
— Nevada Patriot (@PatriotNev18154) August 6, 2026
Trump team to hand out $3B in ‘BIDEN’ grants – for communities that help deport more migrants https://t.co/N6O0zAVJib
— The Right News, Right Now. (@BradPorcellato) August 6, 2026
You meant to say illegal aliens, right? No wonder your rag is a money pit nobody takes seriously.
— John Storm 🇺🇸🏴☠️ (@JohnStorm715) August 6, 2026
The Trump administration even chimed in to counter the Washington Post’s narrative:
What exactly is the problem here, @washingtonpost?
If cities and states want funding for costs incurred during Biden’s migrant crisis, they should be expected to help us enforce immigration laws and get illegal aliens OUT of our country.
It’s common sense, really. https://t.co/vhgbZA809Q
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) August 6, 2026
The Independent added these details:
A 21-page introductory document explains that the funding is intended for “locating and apprehending aliens who have committed a crime under federal, state, or local law, in addition to being unlawfully present in the United States.”
Jurisdictions that apply for the money have to agree to “fully participate” in the ICE 287(g) partnership, which brings together local police forces with immigration agents, and with the Homeland Security Task Force.
However, should their applications prove successful, they may spend their grant at their own discretion, so long as it goes towards hiring and training law enforcement personnel, investing in new crimefighting technology such as drones, body cameras and surveillance systems and building new temporary detention centers.
Jurisdictions do not need to prove that they were harmed directly by Biden administration immigration policies in order to qualify, only demonstrate a willingness to support Trump-backed enforcement efforts.
They will, however, be expected to commit to reimbursing “the costs associated with federal law enforcement intervention” should that later become necessary “to reduce crime or public disorder” related to the crackdown.
Here’s some coverage of some other immigration-related action Trump took this week:
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