New York, NY—Today, Congress passed an omnibus bill that included $16.5 billion in funding for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), $8.4 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and $800 million in funding to support asylum seekers, while failing to provide permanent protections for Dreamers and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders. The New York Immigration Coalition denounces this bill that allows for an increase in funding to police immigrant communities while offering little protection to asylum seekers, and demands that President Biden expand additional protections for new arrivals and ensure that Dreamers and TPS holders secure a pathway to citizenship.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Today’s passage of the omnibus bill leaves our immigrant communities excluded from any meaningful protections or relief by Congress, and is a failure of America’s humanitarian responsibilities. We applaud the inclusion of $800 million in funding for asylum seekers as a first step in meeting our moral and humanitarian obligation to provide refuge to those fleeing persecution and hardship. But it carries limited meaning when racist policies like Title 42 and Remain in Mexico continue to be used to keep America from meeting its humanitarian obligations. As Congress allocates $16.5 billion for CBP and $8.4 billion for ICE, the priorities of our elected leaders are clear: to police and demonize our communities, treating people who are simply seeking freedom and safety as political prey. Beyond the $800 million in funding for asylum seekers, President Biden has a responsibility to expand meaningful protections for new arrivals, rather than persecuting those seeking refuge, to ensure America fulfills its promise of opportunity. President Biden must also ensure that Dreamers, TPS holders, and all those who call our country home secure a pathway to citizenship, so no one is left behind in gaining deserved permanent protections.”
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