Tri-Caucus Chairs Call on Congressional Leaders to Rein in Funds for Trump’s Mass Deportation Force

Washington D.C. – The Congressional Tri-Caucus Chairs – composed of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Judy Chu (CA-27), and the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Cedric Richmond (LA-02) – sent a letter to Majority Leader McConnell, Democratic Leader Schumer, Speaker Ryan and Democratic Leader Pelosi to urge them to reject any increases in funding that can be used towards Trump's mass deportation force as negotiations continue on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 omnibus appropriations bill.

"Since President Trump took office last year, we have seen this Administration implement policy changes that have disproportionately harmed minorities and communities of color. In particular, we have witnessed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use available resources to target and deport non-criminal immigrants, separate families and terrorize whole communities," the Members wrote.

The Members continued: "The Trump Administration is not only indiscriminately and aggressively targeting the undocumented community; they have also taken unprecedented steps to un-document the documented… As negotiations continue on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 omnibus appropriations bill, we strongly urge you to reject any increases in funding that can be used towards Trump's mass deportation force—in particular, we urge cuts to appropriations that can be used for detention beds, and ICE and CBP agents.

A copy of the letter can be found here.

The Honorable Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Charles Schumer

Senate Majority Leader

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Paul Ryan

Office of the Speaker

H-232, U.S. Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Democratic Leader

H-204, U.S. Capitol

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Majority Leader McConnell, Democratic Leader Schumer, Speaker Ryan and Democratic Leader Pelosi:

Since President Trump took office last year, we have seen this Administration implement policy changes that have disproportionately harmed minorities and communities of color. In particular, we have witnessed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use available resources to target and deport non-criminal immigrants, separate families and terrorize whole communities.

There are countless cases of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents engaging in abusive enforcement tactics that cause direct and permanent harm to immigrant communities, their families and businesses across the country. Even more concerning, Acting ICE Director Thomas Homan has stated that all undocumented immigrants 'should be worried, [since] no population [is] off the table' and that the only reason ICE cannot deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country is because the agency lacks the necessary resources.

The Trump Administration is not only indiscriminately and aggressively targeting the undocumented community; they have also taken unprecedented steps to un-document the documented. In the last several months, the Trump Administration has terminated TPS protections for more than 300,000 immigrants, which means that families that have lived in and contributed to the U.S. for decades, will now be forced to move into the shadows or be deported to a country many may not recognize. President Trump also rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program on September 5, 2017, which has jeopardized the future of 800,000 DACA recipients. While current litigation temporarily allows some DACA recipients to renew their status, Congress has failed to provide them with permanent protection from deportation in the imminent future.

It is clear that ICE and CBP are terrorizing communities and carrying out Trump's mass deportation agenda. What is even more concerning are reports that Republicans want to increase funding for ICE and CBP in order to expand their deportation force and target non-criminal immigrants, Dreamers and former TPS holders. It is indefensible that our Republican colleagues have gone from proactively seeking a bipartisan solution for Dreamers just a few weeks ago to now seeking additional funding for the deportation of Dreamers, former TPS holders and their families.

As negotiations continue on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 omnibus appropriations bill, we strongly urge you to reject any increases in funding that can be used towards Trump's mass deportation force—in particular, we urge cuts to appropriations that can be used for detention beds, and ICE and CBP agents. In addition, in the absence of a legislative solution for Dreamers, we strongly oppose funding that will be used to build President Trump's border wall.

Sincerely,

Michelle Lujan Grisham

Chair, Congressional Hispanic Caucus

Judy Chu

Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

Cedric Richmond

Chair, Congressional Black Caucus

cc: Chairman Cochran, Ranking Member Leahy, Chairman Frelinghuysen, and Ranking Member Lowey

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