Today, 276 immigrant rights, civil and human rights, faith-based, environmental, labor and women’s organizations called upon Congress to defund Trump’s mass deportation agenda, instead of giving him more agents and tools to carry out mass deportation of long-settled immigrants.
Given the lack of prioritization and extreme consequences of Trump’s executive orders on immigration, the groups explain:
We can no longer treat funding immigration enforcement as business as usual. It is the stated goal of the President of the United States to deport millions of immigrants. Trump and his appointees have eliminated all prioritization and discretion from the system. There is no room for consideration of a person’s equities, including length of time living in the U.S., U.S. citizen children or ties to their communities. Through the expansion of expedited removal and truncated asylum processes, DHS is undermining due process and deporting people with humanitarian claims. By unleashing this force with virtually no limitations, the Administration has fostered an unprecedented climate of fear among immigrants, their families and their communities.
With that in mind, the organizations urge Congress “to significantly reduce funding for immigration enforcement and detention in the FY2018 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) appropriations bills until the Administration can demonstrate that there is prioritization and accountability at the agencies.”
The final letter is available online here.
