NLIHC Urges Senate to Oppose Budget Reconciliation Bill Creating New Funds for Immigration Enforcement, Oppose Amendments that Harm Immigrant Communities

By Kayla Blackwell, NLIHC Senior Housing Policy Analyst 

NLIHC joined a letter, led by the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), urging U.S. Senators to vote against the budget reconciliation bill that would allocate nearly $72 billion in new mandatory funds for federal immigration enforcement. The letter was sent on May 15, shortly after Senate Republicans released the details of the partisan proposal (see Memo, 5/11). The letter urges Senators to stand in solidarity with immigrant communities under attack by voting NO on all amendments to the legislation that will harm immigrant communities. 

The letter, which has over 350 national, state, and local organizations cosigning, urges Congress to view the partisan budget reconciliation bill in the context of recent cuts to Medicaid and SNAP funding for low-income families. The letter highlights the overwhelming opposition of the current administration’s violent immigration actions and unpopular budget reconciliation proposal which passed last year. These cuts targeted immigrants, and remain deeply unpopular, affirmed by an April 2026 poll. 

NILC shared a vote recommendation template for organizations to send to their Senators and a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Funding Fight Resource Hub toolkit. For advocates unable to co-sign the letter, emailing Senators urging them to oppose the partisan bill and oppose any anti-immigrant amendments is crucial.  

Read the letter here.   

Urge your members of Congress to oppose the budget reconciliation bill using NILC’s vote recommendation template.  

Use NILC’s DHS Funding Fight Resource Hub toolkit here: https://bit.ly/DHS-Funding-Fight-Resource-Hub  

Read more about the budget reconciliation bill from NILC in a blog post, “Despite Being Flush in Cash, DHS Wants $70 Billion More in Tax Payer Dollars.”