The Securing America’s Future Act (H.R. 4760) stands in stark contrast to the Friends Committee on National Legislation’s pursuit of policies that build just societies, peaceful communities, and equitable relationships among all people.
FCNL urges members of Congress to reject H.R. 4760 and work towards a real bipartisan solution that includes a pathway to citizenship for immigrant youth, protects family unity, and takes impact on communities into account.
H.R. 4760 would separate and harm families. The bill eliminates green card programs for any relatives other than spouses or minor children and replaces it with a renewable temporary visa for parents to visit citizens. It permanently bans families from reuniting in this country, rather than remedying existing prolonged family separation at the hands of a broken system. Furthermore, the bill expands the detention of minors who are apprehended at the border with their parents and seeks to immediately deport children who arrive unaccompanied. These measures will cause irreparable damage to families, and put children in harmful situations. Our U.S. immigration system must recognize, support, and protect family unity and the well-being of vulnerable populations. Adding additional barriers to unifying families or our asylum system distracts from critical efforts to create policies that stabilize generations of Americans to come.
H.R. 4760 cements a permanent underclass for immigrant youth. There is no pathway to citizenship in H.R. 4760, only a temporary legal status that current DACA recipients can renew every three years, meaning their legal status will never be certain and will always face the threat of being revoked. Another provision mandates that immigrant youth maintain an income of at least 125% of the federal poverty line. If immigrant youth fall into poverty they will face deportation. People of faith are mandated to treat others with dignity regardless of their wealth. People in poverty – regardless of where they were born – are especially worthy of protection and compassion. Dreamers are an integral part of U.S. communities; it is immoral for Congress to continue to prevent them from fully belonging in the place they call home.
H.R. 4760 will undercut U.S. communities’ civil rights, businesses, and safety. The proposed policies will fuel a systemic violation of civil and human rights in U.S. communities, while neglecting to include increased oversight or community input in policy development. Adding an additional 10,000 Border Patrol Agents & CBP officers will further deteriorate the quality of life for border communities. Furthermore, expanding E-Verify in the absence of increased protections for immigrant workers and without accompanying reforms to the U.S. immigration system will undercut industries that sustain communities across the nation, and jeopardize thousands of U.S. workers nationwide. H.R. 4760 blurs the distinction between federal immigration enforcement and local policing. Without accompanying visa reforms, communities with immigrant communities will be more vulnerable as fewer crimes are reported for fear of deportation.
H.R. 4760 seeks to drastically cut legal immigration and undervalues immigrants’ worth, dignity, and contributions. The proposal eliminates the Diversity Visa Program and reduces the number of immigrants coming into the U.S. by over 250,000 a year. Forcing more people out of the system will not “solve” undocumented immigration. It will push more immigrants toward other avenues that are severely backlogged, and will set people up for impossible choices between stability and legality. Immigrants are not only valuable to the U.S. as laborers or through their economic contributions. Immigrants contribute to their communities regardless of their education background or field of work. New immigrants should not inherently be treated as perpetual outsiders or potential criminals. Strong, faithful communities rely on our ability to welcome the stranger and recognize that of God in each person. FCNL remains ready and willing to work with Congress to meaningfully reform underlying problems with the U.S. immigration system in a bipartisan manner.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a nonpartisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people of many different faiths from every state in the U.S. to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government.
