Civil Rights Groups: Money for Border Security Not Enough. Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Immigration experts, government officials, and civil rights leaders say that an enforcement-only strategy will not solve the U.S. immigration system’s underlying problems, and they are urging Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill.

Last week, the Senate passed an amendment that would allocate $600 million to border enforcement to the Fiscal Year 2010 Emergency Supplemental appropriations bill.  The House of Representatives approved the measure by voice vote today.

Before the vote, Deepak Bhargava, executive director of Center for Community Change, called the border enforcement spending a “fake solution” to a problem that requires a more comprehensive approach.

“Continuing to throw money at border enforcement—when the facts demonstrate that crime rates are down at the southern border, spillover violence has not manifested, and illegal immigration is at its lowest point in a decade—without a clear strategy for comprehensive immigration reform is nothing more than political posturing and a misuse of federal resources,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of National Immigration Forum.

The U.S. has been increasing border enforcement resources over the last decade.  A recent report by the Center for American Progress that examined the growth of federal enforcement policies found that it would be “unrealistic, impractical, and unsuccessful” to pursue a border security strategy in the absence of a comprehensive immigration reform effort.

The Leadership Conference and the civil rights community have long supported comprehensive immigration reform legislation that provides a path to citizenship for undocumented workers, reduces family visa backlogs, ramps up enforcement while respecting civil rights and liberties, and protects the rights of workers regardless of immigration status.