No Border Wall

Statement from Family Values @ Work on the Declaration of National Emergency to Fund a Border Wall
February 15, 2019

Family Values @ Work denounces the president’s unlawful and racist declaration of a “national emergency” to fund his border wall project.

The Trump administration has made its disdain for immigrants and people of color abundantly clear, from its ban on visitors from Muslim-majority countries, to negligence in alleviating Hurricane Maria’s devastating impacts on the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, to the separation of children from their parents and the deadly treatment of asylum-seekers in detention centers. The money-grab for the wall is just another manifestation of this racist strategy to divide our country in order to gain partisan political power.

The emergency declaration is also an abuse of presidential power, signaling his openness to fabricating emergencies to justify other authoritarian aims. Family Values @ Work stands shoulder to shoulder with civil liberties organizations and our allies in other movements in resistance to this trend toward authoritarianism.

The $8 billion that the emergency declaration will redirect to building over 230 miles of new border wall has already been committed to projects that serve the needs of military families, help protect the nation from drug trafficking, and support national security interests identified by nonpartisan military leadership. These funds should remain available for those purposes.

As the government shutdown recently illustrated, many American families live paycheck to paycheck. This economic insecurity is exacerbated by a lack of paid leave and other federal policies that can support families. The energy of this administration should be focused on securing the health and economic well-being of working Americans, not on racist campaign gambits.

As always, Family Values @ Work stands against racism and xenophobia, and in solidarity with immigrants pursuing their legal right to request asylum at the US borders. We call on Congress to support legislation to rescind the national emergency declaration and restore these funds to their original intents.

Call to Action: Congress can and should take action to reverse this phony emergency declaration. Ask your US representative and senators to vote in support of legislation reversing the declaration.

Image: Family Values @ Work network