WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Senate leadership released the legislative text of the fiscal year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill, which outlines the federal government’s spending for the coming year. Though the bill package includes increased funding for critical healthcare programs and coverage, faith organizations and directly-impacted advocacy groups are greatly disappointed that it excludes many popular immigration solutions such as a path to citizenship for DACA recipients, visa recapture for family immigration, and the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment and Adoptee Citizenship Acts. Included in the Omnibus is over $1.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for increased detention and deportation, which disproportionately targets and harms Black migrants and immigrant communities of color.
People of faith have long advocated for a moral, antiracist federal budget that serves to uplift the marginalized and promotes human flourishing for all made in the image of their divine creator. Religious organizations are disheartened to see yet another set of budget priorities that support some while leaving the most vulnerable in limbo. The Interfaith Immigration Coalition (IIC) urgently calls on Congress to reject anti-immigrant amendments to the Omnibus and to pass solutions that provide accessible pathways to permanent protections for migrants in need of refuge and immigrants that have long called the United States ‘home.’
“Franciscan Action Network (FAN) welcomes items in the Omnibus that provide for domestic needs, but we decry exclusion of those who are not U.S. citizens, many of whom aspire to citizenship,” said Sister Marie Lucey, Associate Director of FAN. “Even though multiple surveys show that a majority of Americans support the Afghan Adjustment Act, protection of Dreamers and DACA recipients, provision of permanent paths to citizenship, and recapture of family and employment visas, none of these are included in the Omnibus bill. Every major faith tradition proclaims the Golden Rule, “love your neighbor as yourself.” The Omnibus belies this mandate. We will continue to advocate for just, humane, and compassionate inclusion of our neighbors in our policies and spending bills.”
“Each dollar appropriated to ICE and CBP is money that harms people in our communities and puts lives at risk,” said Imani Cruz, Migration Policy Advocacy Coordinator at American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). “We demand that Congress cut these budgets, especially for increased officers and enforcement, and lower detention numbers. This money is better spent on critical resources that actually help society and demilitarize our border communities.”
“Proverbs 29:2 states that, ‘when the righteous are praised, the people will rejoice: but when the ungodly rule, men mourn.’ Today, we mourn the decision of the United States Congress to deliberately abdicate its responsibility to provide solutions to the multiple immigration issues afflicting our nation,” said Elket Rodríguez, Field Personnel and Team Leader of the Advocacy Team for Immigrants and Refugees for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. “Once again, Congress misses another opportunity to meet the needs of DACA recipients, farmworkers, asylum seekers and our Afghan allies. We urge Congress to amend the Omnibus and legislate solutions and protections for these immigrant populations.”
“We are outraged that Congress has failed to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA), leaving refugees evacuated from Afghanistan a year and a half ago in legal limbo with no clear pathway to permanent residency when their humanitarian parole status expires in the coming months,” said Mark Hetfield, President and CEO of HIAS. “Without the Afghan Adjustment Act, Afghans will either have to apply for permanent residency through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which takes years, or through the complex and overwhelmingly backlogged U.S. asylum system. Sadly, the United States Congress failed to rise to its obligation to stand with the Afghans who stood with us. While we are deeply concerned about the fate of this crucial legislation with the next Congress, we will continue to push Republicans, Democrats, and independents to meet this moral imperative and take immediate action in the new year to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.”
“The decision to exclude vital pieces of legislation, such as the bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act, permanent paths to citizenship, and family and employment visa rollovers are disheartening and disturbing. America must keep its promises to vulnerable individuals, many of whom the United States evacuated and resettled here. Failure to do so is a moral injury and violation of our obligations to those we pledged to protect,” said Meredith Owen, Director of Policy and Advocacy for Church World Service. “Those who seek refuge in the United States face tremendous change and instability; they have courageously invested in their new homes and in our communities. It’s not too late for Congress to make this right and correct these exclusions. We call on congressional leaders to show their support for all our neighbors, and for the American values of welcome and compassion, by introducing the Afghan Adjustment Act, as well as advocating for permanent paths to citizenship and family and employment visa rollovers on the Senate floor as additions to the Omnibus bill. We must keep fighting to support our neighbors.”
“The failure of Congress to do its job in a deliberative manner has left us once again on the brink. We have a must-pass Omnibus bill as Members of Congress dash for the exit to make it home for Christmas. Left on the floor, underfoot of the mad rush, are the hopes of migrants and their families. How and why did Congress fail to include hope for Dreamers and Afghans who literally worked to protect the American people? We urge Congress to amend the Omnibus and include a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and the Afghan Adjustment and Adoptee Citizenship Acts,” said Fran Eskin-Royer, Executive Director, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd.
The Interfaith Immigration Coalition is made up of over 55 national, faith-based organizations brought together across many theological traditions with a common call to seek just policies that lift up the God-given dignity of every individual. In partnership, we work to protect the rights, dignity, and safety of all refugees and migrants. Follow us on Twitter @interfaithimm
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