Washington, D.C. - Yesterday, in an effort to avoid a government shutdown, Congress passed a stopgap spending bill that will continue the same levels of funding for immigration detention and enforcement approved under the Trump administration until a federal budget for Fiscal Year 2022 is finalized. After weeks of action from the Defund Hate coalition, including a video campaign and a letter signed by over 150 organizations urging the House and Senate to reject the Biden administration’s proposal of additional provisions, or “anomalies,” to allow ICE and CBP access to more funding, no increases to immigration enforcement spending were included in the short-term spending bill.

The Defund Hate Coalition issued the following statement:

“After hearing of the Biden administration’s plans to renege its promise to protect immigrant communities by requesting anomalies that would grant ICE and CBP access to increased funding, Defund Hate took action. Hundreds of constituents across the country demanded Congress reject the administration’s anomalies and shared the stories of Arely, Arlender, and Mario, whose abuse inside ICE detention was made possible by astronomical funding levels. We thank Congress for holding the line against anomalies for enforcement that put people like Arely, Arlender, and Mario at greater risk. It was a first step towards ending ICE and CBP's history of rogue, unchecked spending.

However, this stopgap spending bill is far from perfect. Rather than cut spending to ICE and CBP, two agencies that have beaten and killed Black and brown immigrants, torn children from their loved ones, and detained hundreds of thousands of people each year in cruel and inhumane detention facilities, the bill continues the already bloated immigration enforcement budget Trump left behind. Any amount of funding for ICE and CBP only supports this abuse. As Congress looks towards finalizing Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations, we urge them to build from this moment to not just prevent a growing budget for immigration enforcement but to significantly cut funding for ICE and CBP.”

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The #DefundHate campaign, composed of organizations representing directly impacted communities, faith leaders, and civil rights and immigrant rights advocates, is committed to divestment from agencies that tear apart our families and terrorize our communities. For too long, our representatives have said they care about our communities while simultaneously funding aggressive immigration enforcement and deadly immigration jails. They must be held accountable to keep their promises and stand with the immigrant community. We call on our members of Congress to say no and vote against wasting taxpayer dollars on an abusive and deadly immigration enforcement system. Instead, we want our tax dollars used to strengthen our families and communities by investing in education, housing, nutrition, and health care programs that provide opportunity and increase well-being.