Another Flawed and Inhumane Immigration Bill Fails, Showing Deep Disapproval of Trump’s Agenda

Washington, DC-- Moments ago, a Republican package introduced by Speaker Paul Ryan -- including funding for border wall, significant cuts to legal immigration and no protections for Dreamers -- failed, even further indicating how unpopular the anti-immigrant agenda driven by Trump and the Republican Congress remains. According to new polling data reported in the Hill, a majority of Americans oppose the building up of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and favor a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers.  The Republican Congress has faced deep scrutiny for failing to address Trump’s humanitarian crisis; his Administration has ripped families apart at the border and proposed detention sites for migrant children at severely contaminated military sites.

In Response, Sierra Club Executive Director Mike Brune released the following statement:

“We need a just and humane approach to fix our deeply flawed immigration system in the U.S. That means passing a clean Dream Act: one without border wall funding, one that includes protections for immigrant families, children, and Dreamers -- and one that includes a pathway to citizenship.

“This Administration and the Republican majority in Congress continually use immigrants as bargaining chips in efforts to gain funds for border walls, cuts to immigration, and to further militarize our border communities with detention centers and increased border patrol agents. We must join together to defend those seeking refuge in the United States against these unprecedented attacks.”