WASHINGTON, D.C. — As Members of Congress gather to vote on a reckless budget reconciliation package that would endanger communities nationwide, The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) expresses strong opposition to the proposed $72 billion of additional funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This package lacks essential accountability measures and potentially life-saving reforms, posing significant risks to rural, suburban, and city communities alike.

Allocating such a significant sum of taxpayer dollars without clear oversight mechanisms, while these rogue agencies already have a budget surplus, would set a dangerous precedent. While the reconciliation package directs billions toward immigration operations, critical programs addressing healthcare, food assistance, and public safety have faced continuous budget cuts. Most notably, the economic and social impacts of last June’s reconciliation package are still being felt across working and middle-class families. With Members of Congress voting this week, this disparity in priorities underscores a devastating misalignment with the pressing needs of American families as the economic crunch of reckless spending further exacerbates inflation and rising costs.

Said Nicole Melaku, NPNA executive director, “Our communities deserve transparency and accountability—especially when it comes to agencies with very recent and ongoing patterns of Constitutional violations and escalating violence. Our Members of Congress could use taxpayer dollars to keep health insurance affordable, address housing shortages, and mitigate rising costs for everyday living. Instead, this package includes additional money for ICE and CBP, and will most certainly entertain amendments to include an additional billion dollars for the White House ballroom. This sends the American public one message: There is always money to spend when Donald Trump wants to abuse his power to threaten our democracy and our communities under the guise of “public safety.” As Congress votes on this extremist funding package this week, we call on all lawmakers to reconsider their priorities and invest in programs that directly benefit communities and uphold human rights.”

###
The National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) is a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition of over 76 of the nation’s largest immigrant and refugee rights organizations with reach across over 40 states. Together with our members, we advance immigrant and refugee equity and inclusion, build and expand immigration legal services and integration programming capacity, and drive campaigns that strengthen democracy through increased civic participation. See our website for more information at partnershipfornewamericans.org.