Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP) strongly opposes the proposed legislative text for the $118 billion supplemental bill, which gives the Biden-Harris administration unprecedented levels of funding to carry out the United States military interests in exchange for decimating our already flawed immigration system. As a collaborative advocating for African, Asian and Arab/Middle Eastern immigrants, harmful policies like the ones being proposed will disproportionately impact our communities who already experience higher numbers of deportation, detention and displacement due to war as a result of the United States longstanding history and complicity in anti-Blackness, Islamophobia and anti-Asian hate.
Following weeks of closed-door negotiations and releasing the text with only a few days to review, Majority Leader Schumer is forging ahead to bring the bill to a cloture vote today. If signed into law, extreme anti-asylum and detention policies will be implemented, putting the lives of asylum seekers and immigrants at grave danger. It also revives a Title 42-like policy, which was abhorred by advocates for putting Black, Brown and Indigenous lives in danger and condemned by the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Congressional Progressive Caucus and Democratic leadership. It is despicable that the same leaders are now considering a similar policy, bargaining the lives of asylum seekers and immigrant communities away. Deterrence is, and always has been an ineffective policy.
The bill would also allocate $14.1 billion for Israel to conduct military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel’s assault on Palestinians using American weapons has drawn widespread domestic and international condemnation for violations of international humanitarian law, United States law, and the law of armed conflict. To this point, US funds for Israel have proven more effective at killing innocent Palestinian civilians than countering any threat from Hamas. The onslaught against Palestinians has been conducted almost entirely with American-made weapons under this administration’s negligent support. If we continue to fund the collective punishment of 2.3 million Palestinians, many of whom are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance, we will send a signal to far-right, extremist, and racist governments everywhere that genocide is not only tolerated, but rewarded.
“Immigrants are the first to be bargained when this administration seeks to placate Republican demands in exchange for their wishlist of policies. Time and time again, this administration reminds us how politicians act in their own self-interests. Voting for this supplemental bill is a betrayal to this nation’s values as a welcoming, safe haven for those fleeing danger. We need our leaders to stand against the growing tide of white nationalism and champion humane and effective immigration policy solutions that have been offered to them since day 1 of this administration,” said Carolyn Tran, Executive Director of Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP).
These changes will again fail to uphold the rule of law or protect the communities the Biden-Harris administration purports to care about. Our communities need permanent protections for TPS and DACA recipients, asylum seekers, immigrant youth, and their families – not racist policies that fall in line with white nationalism and anti-immigrant agendas.
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