New Jersey Immigrant Groups Bash Biden’s Budget Proposal

NEW JERSEY — President Joe Biden’s proposed 2024 budget is getting harsh reviews from some New Jersey progressives, who say its immigration policies are a “throwback” to those of former president Donald Trump.

The Biden administration released a draft federal budget earlier this month, noting that it includes “investing in America, lowering costs for families, protecting and strengthening Social Security and Medicare, and reducing the deficit.”

The budget request calls for raising the discretionary budget authority for the Department of Defense to $842 billion for fiscal 2024, up 3.2 percent from the previous year. The plan also included a request for $688 billion in base discretionary funding for nondefense programs, up 7.3 percent, The Hill reported.

The spending plan is almost certain to face changes in Congress before it hits the finish line. Read the official White House statement on the proposal here.

Several immigrant advocacy groups in New Jersey immediately criticized Biden’s plan, noting that it would increase the budgets for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by $800 million and add hundreds of new border patrol officers.

In addition, the budget calls for a $4.7 billion contingency fund for U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies to deal with “surges” at the southern border.

Angie Tamayo, a member of Make the Road New Jersey, said Biden’s proposal will “perpetuate family separation” and lead to more deaths and abuses of immigrant families, including her own.

“ICE and CBP are rogue agencies and must be held accountable — not given slush funds to separate families,” Tamayo said. “The president's budget and support of Title 42 and threat to reinstate family detention are an attack on my family.”

Other criticism of the president’s budget proposal came from:

Erik Cruz, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice – “The proposed budget shows the significant disconnect between the Biden administration and immigrant communities in the U.S. It shows that President Biden is not committed to prioritizing vulnerable populations in his policies. Instead, we are seeing a rollback to his predecessor’s worst and cruelest policies.”

Seongwon Kim, Minkwon Center – “This has been an ongoing struggle for our people, and no pledges have been maintained as we see in what we are experiencing today. ICE and many other private prison partners continue to get huge funding, resulting in threats and family separations for immigrant communities.”

Adam McGovern, Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center – “We can’t keep offering piecemeal protections for a fraction of the population in need, while conditioning every one of them on overwhelming punitive measures. The detention and deportation machine presumes the criminality of the huddled masses yearning to find safe haven here. And this budget shows Biden conceding the extremist narrative of immigrants not as human beings who have a problem, but as people who *are* a problem.”

Amy Torres, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice – “It will be up to Congress to act as a check on the President’s wayward conscience. Majorities of everyday Americans from all parties say immigration is good for our country, and support reforms like a pathway to citizenship for millions of longtime residents. Someone who says they speak for us better has to listen to us.”

• See Related: NJ Activists Say Biden's Playbook On Immigration Is Similar To Trump's
• See Related: NJ Immigrants Tell Congress To Defund ICE, Cut Deportation Budget
• See Related: Immigration Advocates Keep Pressure On Biden As He Visits NJ

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