(Washington)—Immigration enforcement will continue during the government shutdown because the GOP-controlled Congress made sure billions of dollars are sent to ICE and CBP. These funds allow mass detention and deportation and the work of their employees—ICE agents, border patrol officials—to function. Despite ICE and CBP’s current roles in terrorizing immigrant communities, the Office of Management and Budget says their work is“essential.”
That is to say, the Trump administration believes that ripping parents from the arms of their crying children must continue even though the WIC services (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) may run out of funding in under a week and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that enforces laws protecting workers from discrimination and abuse is 90% furloughed. Typical of the corrupt Trump administration, the work of those building the President’s new ballroom will continue in spite of the shutdown. However, other workers at key agencies overseeing social service programs will most likely be deemed “non-essential.”
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is appalled that immigration enforcement agency workers are deemed “essential” while other workers at key federal agencies geared toward helping the elderly, children, emergency response, and lower-income Americans are considered less important to Republicans who control the House, Senate and the White House. This is exactly what the Trump administration wants: a federal government that offers only militarized police, mass incarceration, and mass deportation.
The passage of H.R.1 earlier this year provided an unprecedented level of funding—more than $150 billion for ICE and CBP —meaning their current level of surveillance, arrests and detention of immigrants will continue during this shutdown. This fund is more than enough to cover salaries for enforcement officers in the event of a prolonged shutdown.
The shutdown is clear evidence that Republicans will continue to cater to Trump’s priorities of detention and deportation, and are willing to let key programs that serve the elderly, children, people who have mental and/or physically disabilities, and lower-income Americans, be subject to severe impacts if workers are furloughed. OMB Chief Russell Vought has told media outlets that mass layoffs would start this week.
Also, despite a federal court ruling that deployment of the National Guard was illegal, the government says that guard deployments will continue even after the shutdown of other government functions. The deployment of National Guard troops to several cities, whether they were requested or not, will most likely continue as well during the shutdown, with Trump threatening to send troops to Portland, Oregon although no city or state officials requested their presence. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo earlier this week instructing several agencies under the Justice Department’s umbrella to aid in arresting and charging people with crimes if they are deemed to have impeded the actions of ICE agents.
The ILRC calls on elected officials to prioritize the actual needs of families: affordable housing, accessible healthcare, and lower costs, rather than prioritizing resources on Trump’s hateful deportation campaign.
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC works to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. Follow us at www.ilrc.org, and @the_ILRC on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and TikTok. Also follow us on Bluesky @the-ilrc.bsky.social, and on Facebook.