Congressman García’s Statement on the Senate Border Bill

WASHINGTON, DC— Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) released a statement on the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act:

“Meaningful immigration reform is decades overdue. We need to address the root causes of what drives people to our border and ensure they are treated with dignity once they arrive in our communities— whether that was days or decades ago. And we must be clear that narrowing legal immigration pathways doesn't stop migrants from coming, it only reduces their avenues to do so safely.

“But this bill does nothing to advance the reforms we need. After months of closed-door discussions, negotiators reached a deal that includes the most severe restrictions to asylum and immigration in a generation, leaning into failed criminalization strategies and throwing immigrant communities under the bus in exchange for military assistance. Notably, they did so without involving members of affected communities, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

“Now that the legislation has been pronounced dead on arrival in both the House and Senate, we must confront what seemed true from the beginning—that Trump and MAGA Republicans never wanted to pass serious reform. They intended to use these negotiations for political ends while maximizing policy concessions from anyone who tries to engage with them in good faith.

“This bill promotes failed strategies rather than the systemic reform that our immigrant communities so desperately need. I will continue to fight for immigrant justice.”

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