FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 26, 2019

Contact: Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org

Senate Republicans Hand Trump Checkbook for More Border Walls, Militarization and Destruction of Communities and Public Lands

Senate appropriations package provides huge funds for CBP and ICE

Washington, DC— Today, the Senate Committee on Appropriations passed the Homeland Security Appropriations Act—a budget that include $5 billion more for border walls, funding for 6,800 more immigration detention beds and 119 new border patrol agents. See the full budget proposal here.

The funding for new walls comes in addition to the $3.6 billion Trump has already taken from the military budget to build more walls on the Southern border. Trump declared a national emergency in February to move Pentagon funds for new walls, and the move is being challenged by the Sierra Club, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Southern Borders Communities Coalition (SBCC) in court.

In response to the vote, Jordan Giaconia, Associate Director for Legislative Advocacy at the Sierra Club, released the following statement:

“The Senate Republican’s Homeland Security budget proposal is disgraceful, and ironically comes right after the chamber voted to shut down Trump’s fake emergency — meaning this comes in full recognition of Trump’s lies about the US-Mexico border.

“This bill would hand the Trump administration a huge bonus check for more destructive border walls and a continuation of its cruel treatment of migrants. Trump has already stolen billions of dollars from the military for border wall projects, and now the Senate is seeking $5 billion more of  taxpayer money for this disastrous, cruel agenda. This Homeland Security budget is a vehicle to inflict more injustices on border communities and the destruction of our environment.”