Support H.J. Res. 46 and Terminate President Trump’s Fake National Emergency
Read a PDF of this letter here.
Dear Representative:
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 200 national organizations committed to promoting and protecting the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States, we urge you to vote in favor of H.J. Res. 46, the resolution to terminate the “national emergency” declared by President Trump on February 15. We intend to include your position on H.J. Res. 46 in our voting record for the 116th Congress.
President Trump’s declaration of a “national emergency” at our southern border is profoundly flawed as a matter of policy and as a matter of constitutional law. While there are widespread problems with our existing immigration system, the rates of people apprehended for unlawfully crossing our southern border are at historic lows. What has increased at the southern border is the rate of families and children seeking asylum after fleeing from violence or poverty in their home countries. Instead of constructing additional fencing – or resorting to even more inhumane measures, such as using the separation or prolonged detention of children as a deterrent – the administration should be increasing its capacity to process asylum claims in a timely and humane fashion. Invoking national emergency powers to build walls on private property and further militarizing the border, is – as he himself has admitted – unnecessary, and even if he succeeded it would impose staggering costs while doing little to stop unauthorized immigration.
Every Member of Congress has sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution. Congress clearly has the authority to bring this abuse of power to an end in a matter of weeks, if enough members have the courage to exercise it.
For this reason, we will be including your vote on H.J. Res. 46 in our voting records for this Congress, and we urge you to support it. If you have any questions, please contact Rob Randhava, Senior Counsel, at [email protected] or (202) 466-6058.
Sincerely,
Kristine Lucius
Executive Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs