Senate Leaders Warn of Shutdown Over Trump’s Wall.
Washington, D.C. – Recently, LULAC spearheaded a letter signed by a diverse group of activists urging Congress to oppose the Trump wall and support H.R. 837 the Build Bridges Not Walls Act and H.R. 739 the This Land is Our Land Act.
Over 150 civil rights, faith, environmental, indigenous, LGBT, legal, labor, border, and community groups signed the LULAC letter. This week, sources report that Senate Democratic leaders have warned Republicans of a potential shutdown if President Trump insists on funding the construction of a wall along the southern border.
“Congress must do everything in its power to prevent the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border,” said LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “The construction of the Trump wall, the militarization of the border region, the criminalization of immigrants, and the destruction of wildlife habitats are all tools of politicians who seek to advance an extreme profit-driven agenda at the expense of our communities. These efforts have nothing to do with the security of the border region or our nation.”
Additional construction of the border wall is expected to cost $21.6 billion according to the latest estimates from the Department of Homeland Security. This cost is particularly alarming as Congress looks to make extreme cuts to Medicaid expansion benefits, housing aid, and to the Environmental Protection Agency, which is charged with maintaining clean air, land, and water for the public.
“Congress needs to get its priorities straight. The American people need healthcare, housing, clean air, land, and water. We do not need a border wall,” said Wilkes. “Congress must reject the wall, the deportation and detention of Latino families, and put an end to the anti-immigrant agenda that is seemingly underway.”
