WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following weeks of advocacy on Capitol Hill by LULAC and other allied organizations, Republican leaders have officially announced that funding for the construction of the border wall has been put on hold. These reports come after increased pressure from organizations like LULAC, which led a national coalition letter with over 150 organizations opposing President Trump’s wall on the U.S.–Mexico border.
“LULAC members from across the country called, emailed, and met with their Members of Congress to express opposition to the construction of this divisive wall,” said LULAC National President Roger. C. Rocha, Jr. “This is a great win for the American people who want Members of Congress to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars as well as protect the environment, property rights, public lands, animal habitats, and civil rights of Americans and immigrants living in the border region.»
LULAC has reached out to various committee offices including Homeland Security and Appropriations as well as leadership offices and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to urge Congress to block all funding for the continued construction of the border wall. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security estimates the cost of the wall to exceed $20 billion dollars and many experts foresee negative environmental consequences and many legal challenges over land rights.
Allies have emerged on Capitol Hill to champion LULAC’s fight. Today, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced the Protecting the Rights of Families and Immigrants Who Legally Entered From Detention Act(PROFILED Act), which would rescind Trump’s executive order to build a border wall. In addition, the bill would make significant changed to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) apprehension and detention system increase accountability and transparency.
“National security and civil rights are not mutually exclusive, and we can—and should—work to achieve both,” said Rocha. “Congress took a good first step today by signaling that it will not fund the construction of the border wall in fiscal year 2017. Now, it needs to continue that work and pass Senator Menendez’s PROFILED Act to ensure that Trump’s wall never becomes a reality.”
LULAC National will continue to meet with policy makers on Capitol Hill as Congress moves forward with Fiscal Year 2018 appropriation legislation. LULA
