06.27.19

House Passes Bipartisan Senate Supplemental To Address Humanitarian Crisis At The Southern Border

…The Senate Bill Received Overwhelming Bipartisan Support In The Senate And House For Humanitarian Assistance And Guardrails On The Trump Administration…

WASHINGTON (Thursday, June 27, 2019)   Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Thursday welcomed the House passage of the $4.6 billion emergency supplemental appropriations bill to address the escalating humanitarian crisis on the southern border.  The bill is a bipartisan compromise forged between Leahy and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), which passed the Senate earlier this week with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 84 to 8.  The bill now heads to the President’s desk where it is expected to be signed into law.  The bill passed the house with a bipartisan vote of 305 to 102. 

The bill protects vulnerable children, improves inhumane conditions for migrants, and expands migrant due process, while rejecting President Trump’s anti-immigrant, deportation-first agenda by imposing a number of restrictions on the administration’s ability to use these funds for any purposes other than humanitarian assistance.  It does not provide any funding for President Trump’s wall or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention beds. 

Leahy said:  “The images of migrant bodies washed up on the banks of the Rio Grande, and reports of children sleeping in cages without access to toothbrushes and soap, have shocked our nation’s collective conscience. With an administration that has repeatedly shown it could not care less about the increasingly inhumane conditions facing migrants, it was left to Democrats to fight hard to ensure this was a humanitarian-first bill to address the most urgent needs of those seeking refuge at our border.  It provides billions of dollars to improve conditions of detention and provide food, appropriate shelter, and medical care to families fleeing violence and dire poverty.  Inaction by Congress was simply not an option.  Much more remains to be done to fix our broken immigration system, but I am glad that today Republicans and Democrats came together to help reduce the suffering of desperate children and families seeking refuge in our country.”

The Bipartisan Supplemental Includes:

Oversight And Constraining The Trump Administration:

  • NO Funding For Trump’s Wall And NO Funding For Ice Detention Beds.
  • PROHIBITS Transfers Of ANY DHS Funding In This Bill To ANY Other Purpose.
  • PROHIBITS Information Obtained From Potential Sponsors Of Unaccompanied Children From Being Used For Immigration Enforcement.
  • ENSURES Congressional Oversight Visits To ORR Facilities Within 48 Hours’ Notice.
  • Temporary Facilities In Operation For More Than Six Months MUST Meet New Minimum Standards, And All New CBP Processing Facilities MUST Meet National Standards On Transport, Escort, Detention And Search.
  • REQUIRES Monthly Public Reporting On Children Being Separated From Their Families.

The Supplemental Includes:

  • $979 Million In New Funding For Migrant Care, Processing Facilities, Food, Medical Services, And Safe Transportation.
  • $109 Million To Ensure The Safety And Well-Being Of Children Through Post-Release Wrap-Around Services, Legal Services, And Case Management.
  • 30 New Immigration Judge Teams To Address The Immigration Backlog.
  • $20 Million In Funding To Expand Alternatives To Detention Programs By An Estimated 13,500 People.
  • $30 Million In Grants For Nonprofits Who Care For Migrant Families Released From CBP Custody.
  • $10 Million For The Legal Orientation Program To Educate Migrants About Their Rights And The Legal Process At The Border.
  • $9 Million To Speed Up Placement Of Unaccompanied Children With Sponsors And Manage Their Cases.

Full Summary Available HERE.  Leahy’s Full Statement From Senate Passage Available HERE.

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CONTACT: Jay Tilton – 202-224-2667