Washington, D.C.—Church World Service decries the U.S. Senate passage of H.R. 1, the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” Among its plethora of policy and budget impacts, the bill includes attacks on refugees and unaccompanied children, and a massive boost in funding for ICE raids, family detention, and deportations, while simultaneously cutting long standing social safety net support for the neediest in our country.
Erol Kekic, Chief Strategy Officer at Church World Service, had the following response to the bill’s passage:
“While ICE continues to instill fear by raiding places of worship, schools, workplaces and courthouses, the Senate was busy passing a budget bill that pours billions of taxpayer dollars into expanding ICE’s tactics and capacity. Additionally, if this bill is signed into law, hardworking families – among them refugees, asylees, and survivors of trafficking – will also be cut off from healthcare, hunger relief, and life-saving humanitarian programs. As people of faith, we are called to stand with our vulnerable and marginalized neighbors, and this bill betrays our core values.
“Alongside thousands of faith leaders and hundreds of congregations, we continue to proudly defend our values of welcome and support our refugee and immigrant neighbors. The House of Representatives must reject this disastrous legislation and focus on solutions that recognize the dignity of refugees and immigrants and their immense contributions to our communities.”
Read more about the bill’s impact on refugees and newcomers here.
For more information or to speak with Kekic, contact media@cwsglobal.org.