Congress Rejects Xenophobic Policies in Continuing Resolution Thanks to Sustained Pressure from Defund Hate Campaign and Immigration Advocates

Washington DC –  Over the weekend, members of Congress and President Biden passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the federal government until November 17th and avoid a government shutdown. The continuing resolution did not include additional funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) detention, enforcement and surveillance operations, a victory for Defund Hate, which has been organizing over the past several months to prevent additional DHS funding in the 2024 federal budget.

The Defund Hate campaign, a coalition of groups that advocates for decreased funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), offered the following statement:

“We are thrilled that members of Congress listened to our movement and passed a continuing resolution without additional amendments or funding that would further harm immigrant and border communities. Over the last several months, supporters of the Defund Hate campaign made hundreds of calls and sent hundreds of emails to ensure a DHS supplemental funding request for immigrant detention, deportation and border militarization would not see the light of day. We are thankful for our community’s commitment and are inspired by their vision for responsible government spending.

However, ICE and CBP will continue to receive about $25 billion in annual funding until the CR expires on November 17. This taxpayer money will violently separate people from their families, communities and the opportunities they seek in the United States. We know this fight is not over and that those in Congress who seek to enact their xenophobic, anti-immigrant and white supremacist agenda will have more opportunities to do so. We are not backing down and urge our elected representatives in Congress to bring our demands to defund ICE and CBP to negotiations and consider the needs of communities across the country: dignified living through housing, education, healthcare, employment, transportation and more.”

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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.