For Immediate Release

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UWD Staff

130+ Groups Release Top Five Immigration Priorities for Biden Administration’s Next Budget

Advocates urge the administration to divest from detention and invest in communities
Contact: Anabel Mendoza |anabel@unitedwedream.org

Washington D.C.  Today, 131 organizations published a statement for the Biden administration outlining the top immigration priorities that must be included in the country’s budget for Fiscal Year 2023.

As the Biden administration begins crafting next year’s budget, advocates are sending a strong message that it is long past time for the United States to redirect government funding away from draconian enforcement measures and invest in legal services and community-based programming that enhance our communities’ safety and well-being.

Immigrants bring vibrancy and resilience to the United States. Yet, for decades, the United States has placed enforcement and deterrence at the heart of immigration policy, spending billions of dollars annually on immigration enforcement – more than we spend on all other federal law enforcement combined. The consequences have been deadly and disproportionately harm Black, Brown, Indigenous, and border communities.

To restore humanity to our immigration system, the Biden administration’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget must: 

  1. Dramatically decrease funding for immigration detention; 
  2. Fund community-based support programs in place of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) existing “alternatives to detention” program; 
  3. Provide appointed legal representation to immigrant adults and families through the Department of Justice, and to unaccompanied children through the Department of Health and Human Services; 
  4. Decrease funding for immigrant and border surveillance; and 
  5. Decrease the size of the ICE and Border Patrol agent force.

The statement was led by the National Immigrant Justice Center, American Immigration Council, Center for Victims of Torture, Detention Watch Network, United We Dream, and Women’s Refugee Commission.

Read the full statement and list of signing organizations.

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United We Dream is the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the nation; made up of a multi-racial and multi-ethnic network of 1.2 million members, over 100 local groups, and a reach of over 5 million per month. UWD’s vision is to push for just policies that allow everyone to thrive regardless of immigration status. United We Dream is fighting for a multi-racial democracy that works for everyone by building a movement of young people who organize and advocate for the dignity and justice of immigrants and communities of color. You can find more at www.unitedwedream.org.

Topic(s):Undeniable

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