We won't stop until America welcomes all with dignity and respect

Congress failed to #DefundHate this time, but a growing number of elected officials are fighting back.

Dear MoveOn member,

Last week, Congress voted to give U.S. Immigration and U.S. Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) another blank check, but something new happened: 75 representatives and seven senators voted against the bill. 

This is important because it shows that our work is having an impact—including actions from tens of thousands of MoveOn members across the country and from immigration groups who have been tirelessly organizing to hold these agencies accountable.We always knew that this would be a long-term fight. And it's important to reflect on milestones like these when they happen, so that we have the reserve needed to continue on.

Through months of negotiations, the Defund Hate coalition, which MoveOn is a part of, with fierce advocates including United We Dream, Detention Watch Network, and Indivisible, made our demands clear: Cut funding for ICE and CBP, and close their loopholes for overspending. 

Congress heard the message loud and clear from MoveOn members who signed petitions, made thousands of phone calls, brought the demands to their local lawmakers' offices, and held events like the Close the Camps day of action, which highlighted the abuses happening in immigrant detention and demanded accountability. 

Will you watch and share this video to remind your friends why we do this work? Check out this video on Facebook that outlines one of Trump's policies that guts our asylum process.

ICE and CBP spending was a crucial piece of the negotiation. Countless articles cited it as a top priority for both Democrats and the president. And in the end, Democratic leadership caved to secure wins in other areas. 

But a large number of elected officials fought back to say no. They won't continue pouring money into the agencies attacking immigrants and flagrantly overspending without any accountability.

Funding to ICE and CBP has never decreased in either agency's history, and increases have been proposed by both Democrats and Republicans. Having a growing number of elected officials who refuse to support bills that inflict harm on immigrants shows the huge progress the Defund Hate coalition has made, and sets us up for wins in the future. 

Democrats just spent months fighting against these out-of-control agencies. Now, they need to increase pressure until ICE and CBP are no longer designed to harm, but rather to treat immigrants, asylum-seekers, and refugees with dignity and respect. 

And we'll be there every step of the way, ensuring Congress continues to make it a top priority to create an America that welcomes and where people are free to move and free to stay. 

Thanks for all you do.

–Emma, David, Stephen, Corinne, and the rest of the team

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