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Omnibus: Trump, GOP Pursue Relentless Anti-Immigrant Policies

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The following is a statement from Pili Tobar, Managing Director of America’s Voice, reacting to the details and implications of the omnibus spending package and its immigration funding.

Donald Trump and his GOP followers have made clear that they will relentlessly pursue their anti-immigrant agenda in Washington and in elections across the country. Pro-immigrant forces blunted some of the GOP agenda in the omnibus spending bill, but it still falls far short of delivering for Dreamers, protecting immigrant families, and fixing America’s broken immigration system. The takeaway from this budget fight and Trump’s string of lies and distortions is clear: protections for Dreamers and real progress against Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda will have to come at the ballot box.

In the omnibus, the Trump White House did not get most of what they wanted – Democrats blocked Trump’s wishes to build his ‘big and beautiful’ concrete wall, to dramatically ramp up his deportation force, and Republicans’ efforts to defund so-called ‘sanctuary cities.’ Although Trump and Congressional Republicans say they want to provide protections for Dreamers, the truth is even when Democrats offered funds for the wall in exchange for protection, they said no. Despite wide public support for Dreamers, Trump and Republicans will never get to yes.

The details of budget line items don’t change the fact that a relentless, anti-immigrant agenda is one of the few points of consistency in the Trump Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. We have many battles ahead with this administration, and we will continue fighting to protect our community.

The only lasting way to chart a different course is by winning back more power and electing more members of Congress who will stand up for immigrants and fight for an inclusive vision of America that is currently under siege in the era of Trump.