As we approach the 4th of July holiday, Senate leadership is working furiously to pass their version of a federal budget through the reconciliation process. By using reconciliation, the Senate majority is bypassing the usual need to overcome a filibuster; this means they need only a simple majority to pass rather than the usual 60 vote threshold. However, the budget provisions in this bill are a direct assault on immigrants, families, and access to healthcare.

Among its many regressive provisions, the bill would supercharge an already authoritarian immigration enforcement regime by adding billions to hire new ICE officers (likely with lower standards than we see already) and triple the government’s capacity to imprison immigrants for civil violations - including jailing whole families together - while lowering the humanitarian standards for detaining immigrant children. It would charge a $1,000 fee to anyone who wants to apply for asylum, and make them pay an additional $550 every six to maintain work authorization while their application is pending. Asylum applicants, refugees, survivors of domestic violence, victims of human trafficking, and many other lawfully present immigrants would be denied access to Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA marketplace, and SNAP while thousands of immigrant families would also lose access to the Child Tax Credit. These are just a few of the lowlights of the bill, and you can find a detailed breakdown of the anti-immigrant provisions here.

All of this while also cutting taxes for the wealthy, taking health insurance away from an estimated 16 million people, and adding trillions to our national debt.

The expectation is that this bill will come to the Senate floor for a vote in the next week or so, and it is important that Senators across the country hear from their constituents. Here in Massachusetts, both Senators Warren and Markey have long been champions of immigrants and of providing for those in need and have voiced strong opposition to this bill. You can show your appreciation for protecting our communities by sending them a quick email.

But we can all have an influence beyond our own state borders. The more the public hears about the provisions of the bill, the more unpopular it becomes, and supporters of the bill hold a very slim majority - peeling one or two off could kill the bill. You can help by calling your friends and relatives in other states and asking them to reach out to their Senators to voice their opposition to this assault on communities across America.