The House just rejected yet another bill that would have cut legal immigration while expanding deportation and detention. What is next for immigration advocates?
The Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018 (H.R. 6136), a proposal negotiated between the Freedom Caucus and moderate Republicans, failed 121-301 on June 27. Not a single Democrat voted in favor, joining 115 Republicans opposing.
Earlier this week, the House rejected a similarly draconian immigration proposal, Rep. Goodlatte’s Securing America’s Future Act, H.R. 4760. In March, the Senate rejected its counterpart, Senator Grassley’s Secure and Succeed Act. These bills would have eliminated family and diversity visas, ramped up immigration enforcement, built a border wall, and reduced access to asylum in exchange for congressional protection for Dreamers.
Enforcement-only, partisan proposals that pit communities against each other have now failed three times over. Congress still needs to act to protect immigrant youth, including Dreamers and young children who are being incarcerated and ripped from their families as they seek safety at the U.S. southern border. Members of Congress who are serious about protecting immigrant youth should recommit to bipartisan, compassionate solutions.
What are the next steps for Congress?
Amid the national outcry against forcible family separation, members of Congress are floating legislation that would allow for children to be indefinitely detained with their parents. Expanding family detention is not a solution to forcible family separation.
Despite recent conflicting reports, the administration is still criminally prosecuting parents travelling with children and asylum seekers under the “zero-tolerance” policy. Families seeking safety are still being separated or detained together in detention facilities. There is still no clear way for families to reunite who have been separated.
Your senators and representative will be home June 30-July 8. Make sure that they hear from you about these issues.
Members of Congress should:
Reject the Keep Families Together and Enforce the Law Act (S. 3093) and similar proposals that expand family detention, under the false and misleading guise of ending family separation.
Push the administration to immediately end its “zero-tolerance” policy of prosecuting and incarcerating everyone who crosses the border, which is the root cause of family separation.
Cut funding for detention and deportation, and increase accountability and oversight of immigration and border enforcement.
Utilize non-restrictive, community-based alternatives to detention, the most appropriate response for families, children, and asylum seekers.
Print this leave behind out and drop it off at your member of Congress’ office, or better yet, set up a meeting or show up to a town hall:
