On December 21, funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other key parts of the federal government is set to expire. Congress and the administration must reach an appropriations agreement for the rest of fiscal year (FY) 2019 in order to avert a partial government shutdown. While President Trump’s proposed border wall has received the most attention, disagreements also remain over the appropriate level of spending for immigration detention.
Earlier this year, the House Appropriations Committee’s proposed FY 2019 bill called for ICE to maintain a record number of detention beds. Even aside from the problematic and often harmful effects of immigration detention and the escalating costs of immigration detention, effective and affordable alternatives to detention (ATDs) are a better option for taxpayers.
