AFT’s Weingarten Responds to Senate Deal to Separate ICE Funding, Avert Shutdown

WASHINGTON-AFT President Randi Weingarten issued the following response to the Senate's bipartisan deal to avert a government shutdown and give lawmakers time to negotiate reforms to an unchecked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement:

"This is a positive step.

"The bipartisan Senate deal to separate the Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill from other spending bills is a necessary step to fund essential services Americans need, avert another government shutdown and give lawmakers time to negotiate measures to restrict, restrain and reform ICE.

"It is clear from the violence and abuse of power we've seen in Minnesota that we need real reforms immediately. While we believe the entire immigration system is broken and needs reform, at the very least we urge lawmakers to come to an agreement that ensures any DHS entity respects basic human and constitutional rights and is held accountable if it does not.

"And while we are disappointed that the Affordable Care Act tax credits to help avert hikes in healthcare premiums were not included in this package, the other appropriation bills reject some of the administration's worst impulses, particularly the draconian cuts the president had proposed for education, healthcare and worker safety.

"Education funding is maintained, without block-granting critical K-12 programs, and there are slight increases for students with disabilities and Title I schools for low-income students. The package also eliminates billions in hospital cuts for facilities that disproportionately serve vulnerable patients.

"Immigration enforcement can't continue unchanged. The federal government is supposed to protect, not endanger, Americans. The murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, and other illegal ICE actions, are traumatizing communities, making it nearly impossible for AFT members to do our work as educators, healthcare workers and public service professionals.

"It is time for de-escalation, transparency and accountability. It's time for ICE to leave Minnesota. It's imperative, for the sake of public safety, for members of Congress to act now."

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The AFT represents 1.8 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers; paraprofessionals and other school-related personnel; higher education faculty and professional staff; federal, state and local government employees; nurses and healthcare workers; and early childhood educators.