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For Immediate Release

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UWD Staff

Defund Hate: With Title 42 Still in Place, Defund Hate Campaign Demands Congress Completely Reject Nativism and Commit to Community Investment

Contact: José Alonso Muñoz | jose@unitedwedream.org | 202.810.0746

Washington D.C. – On Friday, U.S. District Judge Robert Summerhays issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Biden Administration from ending the racist, Trump-era Title 42 policy, which the CDC had set to end today. In response to this news, which comes in the midst of a frightening increase of nativist, white supremacist rhetoric and violence, the Defund Hate Campaign issued the following statement: 

“The continued rise in white supremacist violence and decisions to double down on nativist immigration policies are intimately connected. This violence is not new and is deeply entrenched in U.S. history. Two years ago, Stephen Miller exploited the pandemic and used Title 42 to target Black and brown migrants and deprive them from their legal right to seek asylum in the U.S. and access the border. For a year and a half, this cruel and racist policy has continued under President Biden’s watch and expelled tens of thousands Black and brown immigrants, including six flights to Haiti this past Friday.

Our lawmakers cannot sit idly by as nativist beliefs proliferate to the highest levels of government and become racist and deadly policies that directly harm communities. As they negotiate the fiscal year 2023 budget, Congress has the opportunity to act now by significantly reducing funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs Border Protection (CBP), immigration enforcement agencies founded on racist, dehumanizing laws that allow our government to criminalize immigrants, militarize the border region, incarcerate and deport millions of people, and further marginalize and profile people of color. 

Instead of funding these agencies that are fueling nativism, tearing apart loved ones, and harming our communities, Congress must be grounded in the realities of what communities really need as they face the long-term effects of the ongoing pandemic. The Defund Hate Campaign has outlined what a Transformative Budget could look like and encourages Congress to heed these calls from their constituents.

We have more than enough resources to welcome people seeking safety into the U.S. with the support of their loved ones and opt-in community-based support services. Rhetoric to the contrary fails to take a hard look at what our budget priorities as a country have been and what they should be. Expulsion, deportation, and detention have always been unnecessary cruelties. All people, regardless of where they were born, the color of their skin, their culture or religious affiliation, should be able to seek safety and refuge and deserve to be welcomed with compassion and understanding. Lawmakers must renew their commitment by rejecting any legislation that postpones the end of Title 42 or reinforces racist nativism, and put forth a budget that actually takes care of our communities.”

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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.

Topic(s):Defund Hate

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