ACLU Comment on House Immigration Legislation Negotiations

WASHINGTON — Members of the House are currently in negotiations on immigration legislation to be voted on next week. Lorella Praeli, American Civil Liberties Union director of immigration policy and campaigns, said:

“The ultimate goal of the Trump administration and immigration hardliners in Congress is to make it easier to detain and deport children and families. If they agree to move forward, moderate Republicans will be paying the ransom and trade Dreamers for long-term detention of children in cages and for a wasteful and harmful border wall.

“This proposal is the House equivalent of the White House bill that failed spectacularly in the Senate to ramp up enforcement at the border. It is once again a non-starter and the House rule to proceed to these bills should be defeated.”