Election Stunt Puts Nation At Risk, Advocates Warn

EL PASO — Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives are reportedly pushing a Friday vote on legislation (HR 5717) to deny federal funding to American communities that have made it their policy to welcome immigrant families. The bill was introduced a year ago, but the Republican House majority waited until just before Election Day to act on it. The clumsily-drafted proposal would deny “any Federal funds” to affected communities. Federal funds help local communities address a wide range of routine and emergent needs, from filling potholes and providing inhalers to children with asthma to air traffic control and disaster response and recovery.

Reacting to the planned vote, the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition issued the following statement from its director, Adriana Cadena:

“This bill puts lives and livelihoods at risk to drive anti-immigrant voter turnout in November. The American people deserve much better from the people they’ve sent to Washington.”