9 MAY 2023

136 Organizations Call on Members of Congress to Reject the GOP’s Secure the Border Act

“We must oppose racist, xenophobic, unconstructive proposals that add fuel to hate and present no constructive and moral solutions. ”

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, as reported by Politico, a coalition of 136 immigration, civil rights, public health, education, religious, labor, and other organizations – including the Immigration Hub, Church World Service, UnidosUS, SEIU,  Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Texas Civil Rights Project, People’s Action, Save the Children, among others – sent a letter urging Members of Congress to reject H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. 

The proposed legislation is a rightwing stew of discredited and hardline policies aimed at fueling anti-immigrant sentiment. It isn’t designed to make policy but to score political points. 

In the letter, the groups focus on the policy impacts of the bill: it would “dismantle the asylum system and cause immeasurable harm to immigrant communities.” In addition, it would eliminate many protections for unaccompanied children resulting in deportations of children, undermine the government’s essential partnerships with humanitarian organizations, and resume building Trump’s ineffective and expensive border wall. 

Excerpts of the letter below: 

“[The Secure the Border Act of 2023] would require family detention for any families attempting to enter the U.S. to seek asylum, as well as any families who previously entered the U.S. without visas. Like all immigration detention, family detention centers have a well-documented history of abusive conditions, including inadequate medical care and mental health deterioration for asylum seekers, survivors of trauma, and children.”

“The bill would also provide only a cursory screening process for children at the border, risking children’s summary return to human trafficking and other dangers. The bill subjects all unaccompanied children to an accelerated removal process worse than what currently exists, and allows for detention of unaccompanied children in jail-like border facilities for up to 30 days–ten times longer than permitted under current law. 

“[H.R. 2] eliminates work authorization for asylum seekers who cross between ports of entry and requires six month renewal periods for asylum-based employment authorization. Combined with USCIS processing time, this would effectively make it impossible for businesses, even in the face of labor shortages, to employ asylum seekers. These provisions will exponentially increase the backlogs at USCIS and make it even more difficult for USCIS to timely process applications. This runs counter to bipartisan efforts to improve the employment authorization process for asylum seekers and will create an unnecessary burden on local communities.” 

To read a full copy of the letter, click here. 

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.