Quigley Statement on Homeland Security and Anti-Immigration Tactics
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative and Appropriations Committee member Mike Quigley (IL-05) joined House Democrats at the Capitol to urge the House Majority to pass a clean Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill without the inclusion of harmful anti-immigrant amendments. Rep. Quigley released the following statement:
"The Republican majority is once again choosing the extremist ideology of a party-faction over the needs of the American people. At a time when terrorist attacks and threats are on the rise, we cannot allow the radical anti-immigrant fringe to hold up Homeland Security funding and risk the safety and security of the United States. This small fringe is uprooting a year's work by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees resulting in a bipartisan compromise to fund vitally important programs. Extreme anti-immigrant amendments have no place in an appropriations bill, and their inclusion jeopardizes crucial security functions like cyber security, border security, airport security, FEMA disaster assistance, firefighter grants, and the Secret Service. Today, I stand with my caucus as we call on our Republican colleagues to put political games aside and pass a clean Homeland Security bill that's in the best interest of our national security."
Rep. Quigley joins House Democrats on the steps of the Capitol to urge full funding of the president's immigration executive actions in the Department of Homeland Security funding bill.
Last week, Rep. Quigley signed a letter with 94 other House members, urging Speaker Boehner and the House Majority to refrain from including harmful anti-immigrant amendments in the DHS funding bill.
Rep. Quigley has been a staunch advocate of comprehensive immigration reform throughout his time in Congress and has pushed Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. He was a strong supporter of the DREAM Act, giving everyone born in the United States an opportunity to attend college or serve in the military. Rep. Quigley used his position on the House Appropriations Committee to highlight the need for Congress to protect undocumented immigrants from abuse in detention centers, reject unconstitutional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and end a mandated detention bed quota that wastes millions of dollars annually.
Over the summer, Rep. Quigley led a letter urging the president to take executive action to enact more human immigration deportation and detention policies. He also joined a Congressional Equality Caucus roundtable discussion with undocumented LGBT advocates to emphasize the importance of including the LGBT immigrant community in the president's executive actions on immigration.
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