Taking action on the emergency declaration

On Friday, President Trump signed a national emergency declaration in order to pay for his proposed border wall. This declaration marks the 58th time a national emergency had been made, with 31 of those emergencies still in effect today.

So what happens next? The ACLU already filed a lawsuit challenging the declaration, as did 16 states who say they are harmed by diverting funding to the wall. Congress has the ability to take up a joint resolution to end the emergency declaration, although it is unclear if they have the votes to do so (or to override the expected veto).

Besides signing the emergency declaration, President Trump also signed a budget agreement, preventing another shut down. The budget includes funding for 45,724 immigration detention beds, an increase from the 2018 budget - but 17% fewer people than the 49,057 currently detained. You can read more about the detention space here.

Meanwhile, in a February 2019 court filing, the Administration stated that reuniting "thousands" of children with their parents or guardians may not be "within the realm of the possible." They are due back in court February 21.

Take Action:

The Center for Biological Diversity posted a pledge that you can sign to show your opposition to the wall. According to a Center for Biological Diversity report written in 2017, a border wall could impact "93 threatened, endangered and candidate species" and destroy critical habitat for 25 species.
Organizations like Project Lifeline are working on behalf of immigrant children in detention. Project Lifeline has a toolkit for children and parents to talk about immigration issues as well as ways to donate to support their work. As always, make sure you research any organization before you donate to it

PathWays PA Policy Blog