WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration continues to prioritize harsh immigration goals focusing on enforcement, as illustrated by the White House fiscal year 2020 budget request released today.
In addition to $8.6 billion to help build the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, the budget request proposes mandatory nationwide use of E-Verify and asks for $2.7 billion to maintain 54,000 detention beds, an increase from the current count of 49,000 detention beds.
The budget also asks for $673 million for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), with funds to hire an additional 100 immigration judges and their immigration judge teams amidst a current backlog of over 800,000 cases.
“If we’re serious about immigration solutions then this is not a list of things we should be prioritizing,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “The request for additional immigration judges is an encouraging step in addressing the shortcomings of our immigration policies – if their judicial discretion is respected. Overall, however, the majority of the White House budget’s immigration proposals do little to address our nation’s immigration needs.”
“In addition to a multibillion dollar border wall request, the White House continues to focus on enforcement-heavy immigration policies that have proven to be ineffective and unsustainable. We need realistic solutions that enhance border security, address the immigration court backlog, and actually help American workers and their families.”