On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed a budget resolution that massively increases funding for mass deportation, immigration detention, border militarization, and family separation. These spending initiatives, the first step in the budget reconciliation process, will not only crowd out funding for much-needed poverty assistance programs but will also fail in achieving the stated objective of the Trump administration’s platform: enhancing America’s economy and national security.
While the budget reconciliation process continues, HIAS will continue to do all we can to advocate for just and compassionate immigration and asylum policies.
- The House budget resolution undermines safety and economic growth. The resolution will add $90 billion for Homeland Security to fund interior enforcement and border security — more than three times the amount allocated to ICE and CBP last year by the Republican-led House Appropriations Committee. These spending priorities are harmful, misguided, and misinformed. Research shows that crime declines when the immigrant share of the population grows, as non-citizens are significantly less likely to commit drug, property, and violent felonies than U.S. citizens. The Congressional Budget Office estimates authorized and unauthorized immigration will contribute close to $9 trillion dollars to the U.S. GDP over the next 10 years. Rather than following the data, funding for mass deportation and detention tears families apart, instills fear in communities, and threatens our economic well-being at great expense.
- The House budget resolution harms asylum-seekers and threatens the rule of law. The United States has both a moral imperative and legal obligation to protect individuals fleeing persecution with the opportunity to seek asylum. Instead, the proposed budget resolution relies on the false rhetoric of an “invasion” to fund ineffective border policies that jeopardize lives. Smart border security respects the lawful and humane treatment of asylum-seekers and prioritizes actual threats to national security. To achieve this, Congress should invest in greater access to lawful, ordered pathways to the United States to decrease the pressure of irregular migration. The House budget resolution redirects critically needed investments away from a functioning asylum system towards failed deterrence-only policies.
- The House budget resolution hurts millions of families and children. To fund mass deportation and detention, the resolution proposes $230 billion in cuts to food assistance (SNAP) and $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid. SNAP reduces food insecurity and improves health, education, and economic outcomes for close to 41 million people. Medicaid improves access to care and reduces mortality for over 72 million people. Congress should invest in policies that strengthen communities, not tear them apart.
