Washington, D.C. — Today, Congress released bill text for the 2023 Omnibus appropriations bill that excludes a path to citizenship for immigrant youth and farm workers. Additionally, the bill includes over 15.5 billion in funding for Customs and Border Protections (CBP), including funding for 300 additional CBP officers.
Juliana Macedo do Nascimento, Deputy Director of Federal Advocacy of United We Dream, said:
“It has been nearly 40 years since Congress passed immigration legislation that provided a path to citizenship for millions. Yet in the decades since, Congress has continued to exponentially increase funding for detention and deportation for immigrant communities. Let’s be clear, more funding for the deportation force has only resulted in fear in communities, family separation and death for immigrants.
Last week over 200 immigrant youth from across the country came to D.C. to share their stories and demand a path to citizenship. It’s shameful that not enough Democrats, including President Biden, pushed back on Republican fear mongering and lies, and fought to protect immigrant youth at a time when DACA remains in limbo and could end with an impending court decision. Congress and President Biden are absolving their responsibilities and closing their session with millions of people in a state of uncertainty, and that’s unconscionable. Democrats in particular will be closing out their trifecta by failing immigrant youth. We need our elected leaders to have the same courage and determination of those immigrant youth who marched in the freezing rain in D.C. last week. This is an urgent moment, and millions of people will go into another year without a path to citizenship. We need action now!”
