The Department of Homeland Security warned members of Congress that the proposed immigration enforcement bill would cost $26.9 billion in the first year to implement and would be "impossible for (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to implement within existing resources."

The Senate is currently considering an amendment to the Laken-Riley Act, which would direct federal immigration enforcement to detain and deport anyone without legal status in the United States if they are charged, arrested or convicted of burglary, burglary, Burglary, burglary or shoplifting.

The bill passed the House last week with more Democratic support than the last time the body voted on it. The bill is widely seen as a sign of Washington's focus on immigration and border security as President-elect Donald Trump approaches his inauguration.

Some Senate Democrats are giving the measure a chance. The measure was further debated and revised this week in a series of procedural votes between the two parties.

But the agency tasked with enforcing the potential new law has warned it may not be able to do that in practice.

New estimates from internal ICE documents obtained and verified by NPR show the agency will need to add 110,000 detention beds and more than 10,000 enforcement and deportation operations personnel to increase arrests, detentions and deportations. It is estimated that more than 7,000 additional attorneys and support staff will be needed to handle the immigration process.

The document notes that the $3.2 billion figure "has been widely used as a cost estimate," but says the figure is incorrect because it "does not represent the full cost of implementation." The document said the previous estimate, outlined in a three-page memo sent by ICE in response to questions from one of the bill's House sponsors, was based on "only 60,000 beds."

Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt, who sponsored the measure in the Senate, did not respond to a request for comment. The measure House of Representatives passed Does not include funding for additional ICE staff or resources. ICE declined to comment on its ability to enforce the act.

Senate democrats and republican Several proposed amendments to the measure are being studied. There is no timetable for a final vote.

The bill is named after a Georgia nursing student who was killed last year by a Venezuelan man who had no legal status in the United States. Her death became a rallying cry for Republicans who criticized the Biden administration's approach to border security. Her attacker, Jose Ibarra, was convicted in November and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Ibarra had previously been charged with shoplifting in New York, leading Republicans to believe Riley might still be alive if the law had been in place.

Critics of the bill say it could lead to innocent people being detained without due process, noting Research shows Immigrants have lower crime rates than people born in the United States