U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, has submitted two amendments to the Senate’s $70 billion reconciliation package — one to end child detention and another to reverse an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy that makes it harder for members of Congress to meet with detained individuals.
The House reconvened Monday as lawmakers in the chamber prepare to debate the Senate-passed reconciliation bill that would fund immigration enforcement. Every Republican vote on the fund is critical since the balance of power in the chamber is so narrow.
Some moderate Republicans are pushing for restrictions on the fund, setting up a potential for dealmaking as lawmakers consider the proposal, which would fund Trump’s draconian immigration crackdown for the remainder of his term.
“Under Donald Trump, ICE has become a rogue and abusive agency. Masked agents are brutalizing our communities and locking away our children,” Castro said of his amendments. “ICE has become more secretive and has imposed punitive restrictions on Congressional oversight visits. My amendments would require ICE to facilitate meetings among Members of Congress and people in ICE facilities and end the detention of kids altogether. Child detention is leaving a dark stain on our nation’s history, and we must push back against the administration’s inhumane treatment of our most innocent.”
Castro’s effort comes as roughly 60 immigrant-rights advocates and members of the clergy convened in San Antonio’s Main Plaza to urge people of faith to ask their church leaders to speak up more forcefully against the White House’s mass-deportation agenda.
During the event, Sara Cruz, a immigration and border specialist for ACLU of Texas, warned that legislation passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature gives state authorities unprecedented new power to target immigrants while compelling local sheriffs to more actively participate in the Trump administration crackdown.
“What do we know is that no one in San Antonio should fear going to school or the grocery store, or fear being questioned because of the color of their skin, or the language they speak, or fear being torn apart from their loved ones or the people who count on them,” she said.
Sakib Shaikh, a board member of the Muslim Children Education and Civic Center, said Congress can pursue common-sense immigration reform while treating people with dignity. However, he added, it’s chosen to work in lockstep with the administration’s efforts to demonize immigrants.
“Too often what we see isn’t policy designed to solve a problem, we see cruelty designed to send a message,” he said. “We see families separated to send a message, we see neighbors terrorized to send a message, we see children living in fear to send a message,” Shaikh said. “People of conscience have a responsibility to say loudly and clearly: ‘No, not in our name, not in our city, not in our communities.'”
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