For Immediate Release: February 14, 2019
Contact: Marie McIntosh, media@ilrc.org
Border Deal and Declaration of State of Emergency Deepens Crisis for Families, Criminalizes Immigrants and Betrays American Voters
Today, Trump announced he would sign a deal brokered by Congress that funds the government while providing $1.4 billion in funding for border barriers and even more money for increased immigration detention and enforcement. Trump plans to sign the measure while also declaring a national state of emergency.
Said Sameera Hafiz, Policy Director at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center:
“While we are grateful that federal workers and their families will not suffer through another shutdown, we must acknowledge that this deal will compound the suffering of immigrant communities already ravaged by Trump’s racist immigration agenda.
“Trump’s plan to declare a national emergency to subvert the rule of law, intentions of Congress, and will of American voters is a gross overreach of executive power that must be checked by Congress. Trump cannot be allowed to disregard the laws in place to protect the people and communities his actions endanger. More money for barriers, detention beds and enforcement agents adds fuel to the fire of an already out-of-control deportation machine and further criminalizes immigrants and communities of color.
“We demand that Congress stop ceding ground to the anti-immigrant rhetoric that continues to dominate our discourse and instead advance policy solutions that are rooted in justice and dignity for all members of our communities.”
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC’s mission is to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities.