As the year winds down, lawmakers are racing to reach an agreement to deliver emergency military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. This proposed spending is currently tied to humanitarian relief, a pairing we reject. Desperately needed humanitarian assistance should not come at the cost of more arms destined to start the cycle of violence all over again.
The proposals being considered would put lifesaving asylum protection out of reach for vulnerable people who are fleeing violence in their home nations.
As negotiations progress, we are also seeing a concerning willingness by the White House and members of Congress to trade permanent, harmful changes in immigration policy for more money for weapons and war.
The proposals being considered would put lifesaving asylum protection out of reach for vulnerable people who are fleeing violence in their home nations. They would make it harder for them to claim asylum and easier to deny the claims of those who have traveled through other countries on their way to the United States. Also under consideration is a measure to dramatically expand the number of undocumented immigrants subject to the fast-track deportation procedure known as “expedited removal.” This would put more families at risk for separation, including mixed-status families with children who are U.S. citizens.
The plan being advanced by some Republican lawmakers goes further. It mirrors a bill known as H.R. 2, which contains many harsh and dehumanizing policies. FCNL has strongly opposed this legislation, and the White House previously vowed to veto it after it was passed by the House earlier this year.
How sadly ironic that, as many in Congress prepare to celebrate the miracle of Christmas, lawmakers seem all too willing to disregard our call to love our neighbors and welcome the stranger.
These changes to migration policy would harm our ability to provide humanitarian protection to people who need it most. How sadly ironic that, as many across the United States and in Congress are preparing to celebrate the miracle of Christmas—a story centered on a family forced by a repressive political regime to seek refuge far from home—lawmakers seem all too willing to disregard our call to love our neighbors and welcome the stranger.
Time is short to stop these anti-immigrant measures. If emergency funding for Ukraine is not secured before the end of the year, it is likely to come up again immediately in January. Without a groundswell of advocacy, preventing these measures from advancing will be difficult.
Congress must not trade asylum protections and border measures for more money for weapons and war. Instead, the U.S. should invest in sustainable, community-based migration management solutions to respond to the needs of this moment.
