Indivisibles,

We’ve been hearing non-stop for the last few weeks about the abysmal conditions that people seeking refuge in the United States are facing in Trump’s inhumane concentration camps. We wanted to update you on the latest that’s been happening in Congress, and highlight a few opportunities to take action in the coming weeks and months to demand that Congress act to Defund Hate and #CloseTheCamps.

Since taking office, Trump has demonstrated again and again that he will use every dollar he can to expand his enforcement apparatus. And yet, Congress -- including the Democratically-controlled House -- gave Trump the supplemental Department of Homeland Security funding he requested, without meaningful guardrails for how that money would be spent. In other words, they simply wrote Trump and his deportation a blank check to continue terrorizing immigrant families.

How did that happen? Facing a rebellion from House moderates (read: Josh Gottheimer and the Problem Solvers Caucus), who threatened to block the earlier House-passed legislation that would have mandated improved conditions for immigrants in detention centers, Speaker Pelosi caved and passed (with mainly Republican votes!) Mitch McConnell’s bill. Immigrant rights groups, progressive members of Congress, and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus opposed the bill and even said it would make the situation in concentration camps worse. 

To say that we’re disappointed in this lack of moral clarity from Speaker Pelosi and the 129 House Democrats who voted yes is an understatement. We’re outraged. But this fight is far from over. 

We HAVE to #DefundHate. Congress is currently in the final stages of the appropriations process, where it decides how much funding federal agencies will receive for the year -- including ICE and CBP. The first draft of the funding bill for DHS, which was released and voted on by the House Appropriations Committee in June, includes some key improvements. But it’s far from perfect and still contains some problematic provisions (such as a $387 million slush fund for ICE). Check out our explainer on this here.

Even more cruelly, we’re now hearing that Trump may be planning raids starting on July 14. That means ICE agents going into communities, workplaces, and tearing parents from their children in the middle of the night. Part of the motivation for Trump is to spread fear across our communities, which is why it’s important to help spread the word to ensure your immigrant neighbors know their rights (check out these great resources from United We Dream here). 

The truth about these raids, and the concentration camps at our border, and the continued terrorizing of immigrant families in this country is that it continues to happen because Congress continues to fund it. That’s where you come in (and where you can make the biggest difference).

How we can take action right now

Now that we have a draft appropriations bill, the fight over DHS funding bill will move to the full House, which has to act by September 30. Members of Congress have a choice to make: they can continue to give Trump money for more concentration camps, to raid communities and separate families, or they can cut funding to those agencies and use that money instead for humanitarian programs and alternatives to detention. 

Tell Congress to cut funding for ICE and CBP ahead of the September budget fight.

It’s simple: if you’re angry about concentration camps, about separating children from their parents, or about mass deportations, then the best thing you can do is demand that Congress cut funding to the agencies responsible. Call your three members of Congress (MoC) and tell them to Defund Hate by cutting funding for ICE and CBP, and to get rid of the slush fund for ICE that will further fuel Trump’s deportation machine. We’ve got a script you can use here.

Attend a Lights for Liberty Vigil this Friday, July 12.

In the shorter term, there is an opportunity coming up later this week to protest the detention of people in concentration camps. In light of the release of the Inspector General’s report into the conditions for the people inside these camps, a coalition of immigrant adocates are planning Lights for Liberty, a national day of action on Friday, July 12 to organize vigils and events at detention centers where child abuse is rampant, running water is limited, and family separation is widespread, as well as at other locations. Find your local vigil here, and show your support by calling for an end to human concentration camps. You can also text lights to 977-79 and we’ll send you a link to RSVP to your nearest event. 

Extra-credit: Join our National Activist Call this Thursday, July 11.

We’ll be discussing the upcoming budget fight, Lights for Liberty, and other opportunities and resources for action in more detail this week in our monthly activist call on Thursday, July 11. Click here to RSVP for Thursday’s call at 8pm Eastern Time / 5pm Pacific Time.

We know that the relentless cruelty of this administration can be hard to bear. The stories we’re hearing from reporters and members of Congress visiting the detention facilities only confirm that these truly are concentration camps. We urge you to take care of yourself and to guard against feelings of discouragement and hopelessness in the face of inhumanity. Indivisibles have a responsibility to keep doing everything we can to stop Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, and we’re counting on you to stay in this fight. 

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team