AILA Responds to Emergency Border Spending Bills

CONTACTS:
George Tzamaras 202-507-7649 gtzamaras@aila.org	Tessa Wiseman 202-507-7661 twiseman@aila.org

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Senate passed an emergency border spending bill, acting just one day after the House passed its own emergency spending measure. Both bills contain $4.5 billion that would be used primarily by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) for the custody, transport, and care of migrants.

Benjamin Johnson, AILA Executive Director stated, “The havoc that the Trump administration has wreaked on the southern border with overzealous deterrence policies has only exacerbated the danger experienced by thousands of asylum seekers. Children are being held in squalid conditions for prolonged periods of time with inadequate access to proper food and services, and families are being separated and sent back to danger in Mexico. The compromise proposal from the House is far from perfect, but it is better than the Senate package. As Congress works to reconcile the different bills, AILA urges that the protective measures in the House bill be included in the final package. Finally, emergency funding is just a start—the House and Senate must hold the administration accountable for these human rights offenses, secure further protections for immigrants at our border, and address root causes of migration forcing children and families to flee their home countries. AILA has proposed and will continue to press for a comprehensive set of solutions that protect due process and ensure that decisions are made based on the facts and the law, not stereotypes and political gamesmanship.”

Cite as AILA Doc. No. 19062691.