We elected Democrats in 2020 to stop Trump’s cruel
immigration policies. Instead, they just gave them even more
money.
Dear Friend,
One month ago, a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agent in
southeastern Arizona shot and killed Carmelo Cruz Marcos, a
32-year-old father of three children.
Seeking refuge in the United States should never be a death
sentence, but hundreds of immigrants have been killed by or died in
encounters with border patrol agents since 2010. Not one agent has
been successfully prosecuted for killing someone while on duty in the
nearly 100-year history of CBP.1
Under Trump, the budgets for ICE and CBP grew to new historic
highs, funding more violence, family separation, and corruption. But
just last week, Congress passed a budget for this year that actually
gives more money to these immigration enforcement
agencies.2
Trump didn’t invent racist immigration policy, but failing
to repair the damage of his policies is an unconscionable failure of
leadership from the Democrats who we helped elect to
Congress.
We have a chance to make a difference: President Biden is releasing
his budget for the next year on March 28 — a
reflection of his administration’s top spending priorities and the
official start to the next round of budget
negotiations.3
Before
he does, we’re launching a petition calling on him to cut funding to
Trump-level immigration enforcement. You can add your name right
now.
“I want justice,” Cruz’s mother said through tears at a vigil
earlier this month. “My heart hurts for what they did to my son. My
grandchildren are suffering. My son was going to seek a better life
for his children.”4
No one should die or be detained because of where they come from or
for crossing a border. We must keep fighting for a country where
immigrants are welcome and safe.
Our nation’s budget is not just a reflection of our spending, but
of our moral values — and whose lives we value. That’s a teaching that
runs deep in our Jewish tradition.
Over and over again our movement protested Steve Bannon and Stephen
Miller’s immigration policies, because our communities know the long
history of racist, exclusionary treatment of immigrants in this
country all too well.
We need to show up with the same energy now as President
Biden and Democrats in Congress fail to live up to their
promises.5,6,7
Add
your name to call on President Biden to stop funding cruel, racist
immigration policies.
Keep an eye on your inbox — after President Biden releases his
budget on March 28, we’ll share back how it measures up with our
movement’s demands and how we can push him in the right direction.
Toward justice,
The Bend the Arc team
Sources:
1. Southern Border Communities Coalition,
Fatal
Encounters with CBP
2. Documented, ICE's
Budget Grows by $284 Million in New Spending Bill
3. Bloomberg,
Biden
To Issue 2023 Government Spending Plan on March 28
4.
Tucson.com, Group
holds vigil for migrant shot, killed by Border Patrol agent
5.
AP News, Immigrant
detentions soar despite Biden's campaign promises
6. Washington
Post, ICE
holds growing numbers of immigrants at private facilities despite
Biden campaign promise to end practice
7. WHYY, Immigrant
rights activists protest Biden's Philly visit
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