Immigrant Advocates Express Outrage Over “More of the Same” Border Spending Bill

Washington D.C. – Last week, Senate Democrats introduced and passed a last-minute $600 million border enforcement bill. This enforcement-only package includes funding for over 1,500 Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and Customs and Border Protection officers at the southern border, as well as funding for unmanned aerial drones and other enforcement activities. This action comes less than just 2 months after an earlier decision by the Senate not to include such spending in the Fiscal Year 2010 Emergency Supplemental bill they sent to the House. This Senate-passed bill could be taken up by the House of Representatives as early as tomorrow.  The following is a statement from Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum and Chair of the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign.

“Last week, by succumbing to crass political considerations, rather than sound policy-making, Senate Democrats succeeded in clumsily orchestrating an outrageous betrayal of immigrant, faith, law enforcement, border communities and Latino communities by rushing yet another symbolic border enforcement bill through the Senate that throws more enforcement dollars at an already broken immigration system.  To add insult to injury, the Democrats did so without any indication that Senate Republicans were prepared to renew negotiations on comprehensive immigration reform legislation. This bill is a massive tax-payer funded band-aid to hold together an immigration system that needs an overhaul.

As Homeland Security Secretary has stated, there are now more resources at the southern border than ever, and security experts from a wide range of political perspectives agree that the border is as secure as it can be without comprehensive immigration reform.  The facts are also clear: crime rates are down at the southern border, spillover violence from Mexico has not manifested, and illegal immigration is at its lowest point in a decade.  We need real solutions that can help this nation move forward, strengthen its economy, control its borders and live up to its values as a nation of laws and immigrants.

It’s time for our policy makers to stop playing politics.  It’s time for Senators and Representatives to roll their sleeves up and get to work on lasting solutions for the good of this nation. Poll after poll demonstrate that politicians who lean into the issue of immigration reform are on strong footing with the majority of Americans, because they are committed to security and real solutions to a system that needs to be fixed.   Are House and Senate leaders still committed to acting on comprehensive immigration reform legislation? It’s time for them to prove it.”

###