NYC Gazette

Washington, DC – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) – whose district encompasses the two most iconic monuments to America’s history as a nation of immigrants, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island – today introduced seven amendments to reform the extreme MAGA Republicans’ xenophobic and inhumane border bill.  

The MAGA border bill would do nothing to address the root causes of our broken immigration system or improve safety at the border, but would instead generate more chaos, endanger the lives of migrants, and put the safety of American communities at risk by not addressing gun trafficking to Mexico that fuels organized crime.

Goldman, who sits on the House Committee on Homeland Security, introduced amendments that would:

• Protect funding for an independent oversight office that investigates conditions at detention facilities and instances of abuse and misconduct targeting migrants; 

• Direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to disrupt the trafficking of U.S.-made firearms into Mexico;  

• Require a report from DHS on the reunification status of migrant children who were forcibly separated from their families by the Trump administration;  

• Prevent Republicans from gutting the Shelter and Services Program; 

• Prevent the return of family detention; and  

• Prevent Republicans from stripping funding from nongovernmental organizations that work to assist migrants.  

“This extreme MAGA border bill does nothing to address the root causes of our broken immigration system and would instead return us to inhumane and un-American Trump-era immigration policy,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Republicans are playing politics with human lives by stripping funding from critical care programs and organizations that support migrants and gutting oversight meant to protect new arrivals from abuse. Pursuing comprehensive immigration reform is a principal focus of mine in Congress, and I will do everything in my power to ensure our immigration policy is prioritizing safety and humanity and not political gamesmanship.”

Oversight of Misconduct and Abuse

The extreme MAGA border bill seeks to gut the office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman that provides an independent process to receive and investigate instances of individuals in immigration detention subjected to misconduct, excessive force, or any other violations of law or detention standards by DHS personnel.  

Goldman’s amendment would reaffirm the mission of the Ombudsman, protect appropriated funding, and appropriate an additional $72 million for each of fiscal years 2024 and 2025 to protect migrants from abuse.

Disruption of Firearms Trafficking from the United States to Mexico

According to a February 2021 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, trafficking of U.S.-sourced firearms into Mexico is a national security threat, as it facilitates the illegal drug trade and has been linked to organized crime.

Goldman’s amendment requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to enhance efforts to disrupt the smuggling of U.S,-sourced firearms and related munitions across the land border with Mexico.  

Report to Congress on the Reunification Status of Children Forcibly Separated from their Parents by the Trump Administration

This month, the New York Times reported that as many as 1,000 U.S.-born children were separated from their parents at the border as part of Trump’s draconian family separation policy. The Times found that these “children were placed into foster care for lengthy periods, and some have yet to be reunited with their parents, lost in the system nearly five years after the separations took place.”

Goldman’s amendment requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, as head of President Biden’s Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families, to provide a report to Congress on the status of reunification of all children who were forcibly separated from their parents by the Trump Administration.  

Shelter And Services Program

The Shelter and Services Program provides resources and services, including shelter, food, and necessities to migrants in the United States. The extreme MAGA border bill would strip the Shelter and Services Program of critical funding.  

Goldman’s amendment would prevent Republicans from undermining the program and instead authorize appropriation of a further $800 million for each of fiscal years 2024 and 2025.  

This follows the $800 million in funding for the Shelter and Services program that Goldman requested in the appropriations process for the fiscal year 2024 budget.  

Alternatives to Detention Case Management Pilot Program

The extreme MAGA border bill guts funding for the Alternatives to Detention Case Management Pilot Program that provides assistance to individuals navigating immigration proceedings and reduces reliance on immigration detention.

Returning to the Trump-era policy of family detention is equal parts inhumane and un-American. The American Academy of Pediatrics has shown how family detention policies harm children as “even short periods of detention can cause psychological trauma and long-term mental health risks for children.”

Goldman’s amendment would reaffirm Congress’s commitment to the mission of the Alternatives to Detention Case Management program and authorize an additional appropriation of $40 million for fiscal years 2024 and 2025 and reaffirm.  

Funding for Nongovernmental Organizations Supporting Noncitizens

Goldman introduced an amendment that would strike Republicans’ incredibly dangerous proposal to strip community-based organizations of their ability and funding through DHS to serve migrants.  

The Republican border bill would bar the Department of Homeland Security from funding nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that assist noncitizens of all legal statuses in any kind of way – a proposal that would wreak havoc on the many New York organizations working around the clock to support new arrivals.  

Goldman's amendment would strike that prohibition and appropriate an additional $800 million for NGOs that assist in supporting migrants and asylum seekers for fiscal years 2024 and 2025.

Reaffirming our Nation’s Commitment to Welcoming Asylum Seekers

The extreme MAGA border bill prohibits DHS from processing the entry into the United States of persons arriving in between ports of entry – in direct violation of federal law.  

Goldman’s amendment would strike that prohibition and reaffirm our commitment to a fair asylum system. Through the Refugee Act of 1980, Congress established that all persons physically present in the U.S., at a land border, or a port of entry, irrespective of their status, can apply for asylum.  

As a member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, Congressman Goldman has made the pursuit of comprehensive immigration reform and realizing a more just and humane immigration system a principal focus of his first term in Congress.  

Goldman cosponsored the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act to reduce the current 180-day waiting period for work authorization eligibility to only 30-days, allowing any asylum seeker to apply for a work permit as soon as 30 days after applying for asylum

He has worked with Congressman Lou Correa (CA-46) to address the historic immigration backlog and support our nation’s commitment to process asylum seekers in a safe and orderly manner.

Last month Goldman urged President Biden to maintain his commitment to not pursue the cruel and inhumane practice of detaining immigrant families and children, and instead continue expanding legal pathways and invest in community-based alternatives to detention.

Goldman has cosponsored the Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 to provide as many as 8.3 million individuals, including 7.3 million people who have lived in the U.S. for 19 years on average, a lawful pathway to permanent status and ultimately citizenship.

Along with Congresswoman Hillary Scholten (MI-03), Goldman in March requested the Department of Justice create a specialized children’s dockets for unaccompanied children and requested the Office of Refugee Resettlement improve and expand post-release services for unaccompanied children to protect them from exploitation and keep them out of dangerous working conditions. 

Original source can be found here.