U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the 50 million students they serve, we urge you to VOTE NO on the Secure the Border Act of 2023 (H.R. 2). Votes on this issue may be included in NEA’s Report Card for the 118th Congress.
This bill would severely restrict—in effect, shut down—the U.S. asylum system with burdensome new rules. It would also restore Trump-era medieval solutions to modern-day problems, like resuming construction of a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico.
Asylum seekers and their families would be required to wait in detention facilities or outside the United States before their claims are heard—harmful and traumatic for all involved, but especially children. To discourage people from seeking asylum in the first place, the bill would bar nongovernmental organizations—even those with religious affiliations—from working with the U.S. government to shelter or support immigrants.
The treatment of unaccompanied children, an especially vulnerable population, is downright alarming. The bill would decimate current safeguards, which have bipartisan support, and destroy the U.S. protection system as we know it. As a result, more children could become victims of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and extreme violence.
We know the immigration process has long been in desperate need of attention, but H.R. 2 is not the answer. NEA is committed to working with Congress to advance sound solutions that protect those who seek refuge in this country as well as our immigrant students and educators.
Sincerely,
Marc Egan
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
