Democrats are pushing back against a Republican anti-immigration bill that they say would punish legal residents, trafficking victims, and refugees.
The Border Reinforcement Act of 2023 introduced by Republicans Monday seeks to address the current "border crisis," and includes a provision that would prevent all noncitizens from receiving federal funding.
Rhode Island Democratic Representative Seth Magaziner said during the House committee hearing on the bill that the GOP's proposed policies overstep what they pretended were basic security measures.
"We've heard over and over from the Republicans on the other side that this is just a border security bill and nothing else. Now we see, front and center, that that's not true. We see now that this bill goes much further," he said. "The bill would deny funding to organizations that have nothing to do with border security. It would deny it to the ones that are offering food, shelter, and medical care to people whose lives are at risk."
California Democratic Representative Robert Garcia pointed out one provision in the bill, which would would organizations such as Catholic Charities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Episcopal Migration Services, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services. Some groups provide housing and transportation for refugees, whereas others shelter women who have been victims of violence.
The Border Reinforcement Act would also restart construction on former president Donald Trump's border wall, and calls for the hiring of 22,000 new border agents. While the aforementioned charities can still continue their work, the legislation insists they "aren't going to get taxpayer's dollars."
Reverend Mark J. Seitz of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops called upon lawmakers to reject the bill in a letter, writing: "This would be unacceptable if the provision merely barred an NGO from providing services to someone in the U.S. who is undocumented."
