AIS Statement: AIS Denounces Passage of Reconciliation Bill as Threat to Community and Survivor Safety

Additional funding will penalize jurisdictions with community trust policies and drive survivors deeper into the shadows

June 11, 2026 - For the second year in a row, Congress has passed harmful reconciliation legislation which adds unprecedented funding levels for immigration enforcement with no meaningful reforms or accountability measures. This bill exacerbates the fear that prevents immigrant survivors from seeking help, reporting crimes, or accessing life-saving services.
 
Congress has now given Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) an additional $70 billion dollars on top of the $170.7 billion dollars they received in last year’s reconciliation bill. These agencies currently have over 100 billion dollars in unspent funding from last year, bringing the total available to approximately $240 billion dollars without any guardrails in place to ensure greater transparency or accountability for wrong doing.
 
“It is deeply concerning that Congress would hand ICE and CBP another blank check while at the same time holding up critical funding for programs that provide life saving services and support to survivors across the country,” said Cristina Velez, Legal and Policy Director at ASISTA.
 
The reconciliation bill also contains $350 million to arrest, detain, and deport certain immigrants in places the administration believes are not sufficiently cooperating with its mass deportation agenda. This will not make our communities safer. Rather than promoting safety, providing additional funding for overbroad unchecked immigration enforcement actions will cause irreversible harm to individuals and communities, undermine public trust, destabilize families, and increase survivors’ vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.
 
“Penalizing jurisdictions with community trust policies will drive survivors deeper into the shadows, and make them even more fearful of what would happen if they call 9-1-1 for help,” said Casey Carter Swegman, Director Of Public Policy at Tahirih Justice Center.
 
“Congress must now act toward reclaiming this windfall to ICE and CBP and redirect those funds towards policies and programs that actually keep survivors and communities safe, like prohibiting enforcement actions at or near sensitive locations including courthouses, domestic violence shelters, and medical facilities, which are the very places survivors of crime often seek help,” said AIS Advocacy Coordinator Cecelia Friedman Levin.
 
Congress has inflicted deep and lasting harm–choosing an agenda of cruelty over an agenda of safety and justice and for all. AIS will continue to take action to change course and choose a future where everyone, regardless of gender or immigration status, can live in safety and thrive.