Take Action: Urge Your Members to Congress to Vote NO on Budget Bill that Targets Refugees and Slashes Human Needs Programs to Fund Mass Detention and Deportation


July 2, 2025

Congress is preparing to pass a budget reconciliation bill that would massively increase immigrant detention, deportation, and border militarization. To ramp up immigration enforcement, the bill (H.R. 1, the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act) slashes essential human needs programs and deprives access to food and healthcare for immigrants and their U.S. citizen family members and children.

 President Trump and his allies are attempting to rush the legislation through the Senate and House to meet their self-imposed July 4 deadline. As of July 2, the bill has passed the Senate and is now up for consideration before the House. Now is the moment to take action. 

If it passes, the bill would:

  • Dramatically cut Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and other human needs programs, including by eliminating eligibility for refugees and other humanitarian entrants;  
  • Massively increase funding for ICE, allow indefinite family detention, and increase capacity for raids, deportations, and border militarization; and 
  • Attack protections and raise fees for unaccompanied children, survivors of trafficking, and asylum seekers. 

See a full analysis of provisions impacting refugees and other ORR-eligible arrivals here.

We urgently need your help to demand Congress vote NO on this bill and prevent cuts to essential programs like SNAP and Medicaid and the further escalation of ICE raids in our neighborhoods.

Take action today by urging your members of Congress to vote NO on the budget package and to oppose the harmful provisions discussed above. 

EMAIL YOUR TWO SENATORS AND ONE REPRESENTATIVE
On the right-hand side, you can send an email to your Senators.

My name is [insert name] and as your constituent from [City/Town] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I urge my Senator to vote NO on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” This bill would strip essential food and health programs from vulnerable communities and increase funding for ICE raids, detention, and deportation that are already out of control. I urge the Senator to speak out against provisions in the bill that:

  • Strip Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP from vulnerable communities, including cutting Medicaid for millions of Americans and eliminating access to Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP from refugees, asylees, TPS holders, humanitarian parolees, and others. 
  • Dramatically increase funding for immigration enforcement. ICE is already causing unnecessary fear in my community by targeting loved ones at their schools, jobs, places of worship, and homes. This funding would boost ICE raids, enable indefinite family detention, and tear families apart. 
  • Attack unaccompanied children and asylum seekers. I oppose the bill’s large fees on humanitarian applications that would price out those who are seeking asylum or reuniting with children who are in government custody. 

Rather than supporting this harmful legislation, Congress has a moral imperative to pass a budget that invests in nutrition, healthcare, education, housing, and safety for our communities, including people uprooted from their homes. My community stands with refugees, newcomers, and other marginalized communities – and I urge you to do the same so that everyone in our state can thrive. 

CALL YOUR SENATORS
Use the phone tool on the right-hand side to call your Senators.

Sample Phone Script: “My name is [insert name] and as your constituent from [City/Town] and a [person of faith/refugee/member of my community], I urge your office to vote NO on the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”

This package is deeply troubling because it pours even more money into ICE raids, detention, and deportation—which are already out of control—while gutting vital services like Medicaid, Medicare, and SNAP for millions of people.

Rather than supporting this harmful legislation, Congress has a moral imperative to pass a budget that invests in nutrition, healthcare, education, housing, and safety for our communities, including people uprooted from their homes. My community stands with refugees, newcomers, and other marginalized communities – and I urge you to do the same.

Thank you.”

AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Share this message with your Senators on social media. See below for sample posts:

  • @Senator: Say no to cutting Medicaid to fund more detentions and deportations without due process! #SaveOurMedicaid #DefendRefuge 
  • @Senator: Vote NO on the budget bill and its attacks on refugees, newcomers, and unaccompanied children! #DefendRefuge 
  • @Senator: The budget bill funds family separation. Our tax dollars should not fund mass detentions and deportations! #DefendRefuge 

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