Sheila Katz, CEO, National Council of Jewish Women, said: “How a nation chooses to spend its money reflects its priorities and values. Taxpayer dollars should be spent on critical programs that make our communities strong and vibrant such as education, health care, and housing rather than fueling agencies that separate families. We implore Congress to do its job and serve and advocate for the needs of their constituents.”
While the House and Senate were on August recess:
The Trump administration decided to take money from FEMA, at the height of hurricane season, and other critical agencies to expand immigrant and family incarceration.
The administration opted to divert billions of dollars from the U.S. military to pay for Trump’s “vanity wall” along the southern border.
The administration also issued a series of harmful rules and policy changes including the rule on “public charge”; cancellation of the medical deferred action policy at USCIS; and an attempt to gut the Flores settlement agreement protecting immigrant children, among other atrocities.
Up to 38,000 people now have been turned back to Mexico to await asylum processing under the Migrant Protection Protocols, putting those seeking refuge in harm’s way and subjecting them to disorder, confusion, and unsafe conditions.
Sister Simone Campbell, Executive Director, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said: “It is immoral that the Trump Administration continues to intentionally terrorize immigrants and asylum seekers! This must stop. Our faiths call us to honor the dignity of all people and their inherent human rights. These are the values that should be the source of government action. We call on Congress to stop funding the oppression of people that forces them out of their homes. Congress should withhold funding from CBP and ICE to stop their immoral behavior at the border and in our neighborhoods.”
Throughout August, religious and secular institutions were active in demanding that our government stop scapegoating immigrants and refugees and putting human lives in danger. A recap of faith-based activity over August recess is available here.
Hannah Evans, Legislative Representative for Immigration & Refugee Policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation said: “In contrast to the administration’s example, we urge Senate appropriators to fully fund the Office of Refugee Resettlement; protect unaccompanied children, refugees, asylees, and other vulnerable populations; and reject any cuts to their care and integration into the United States. Initial investments in ORR advance the long-term success of new Americans, including those rebuilding their lives after surviving persecution, torture, trauma, and human trafficking. Congress should re-commit to these vital programs and stop fueling this administration’s anti-immigrant and anti-refugee agenda. Congress has the ‘power of the purse’ and it’s time to use it.”
For more on the moral choices involved in federal funding decisions, see this NEW backgrounder; a letter to Congress from religious organizations; this memo; this backgrounder on cost-effective alternatives to detention; and this set of border policy recommendations from faith communities. Quotes from religious leaders are available here.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of 53 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants.
Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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