The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today calls on the Senate to reject the House of Representatives’ amendment to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 8752) Part C Amendment No. 45 that would bar funding for the implementation of a directive from President Biden to delay deportation orders for Palestinians living in the United States.
Sponsored by Representative Ogles (R-TN), Amendment No. 45 passed the House narrowly with a vote of 204 yeas to 203 nays on Wednesday, June 26.
Representative Underwood, an opponent of the amendment, highlighted the grave consequences of this legislation, stating that deportation would mean Palestinian civilians returning to “dangerous, war-torn conditions to needlessly put their lives at risk.”
SEE: How Members of Congress Voted
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Department Coordinator Shafiquil Muhshna said:
“We urge the Senate to reject this harmful amendment and prevent the deportation of Palestinians back into continuous blockades, violence, and a collapsing infrastructure that has created dire living conditions for Gaza residents. Essential services such as healthcare, food, clean water, and electricity are severely limited, making everyday survival a significant challenge. Forcing Palestinians to return to such conditions would not only be inhumane but a death sentence.”
BACKGROUND:
In February, President Joe Biden signed an order shielding Palestinians in the United States from deportation for 18 months, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip. This move grants “deferred enforced departure” to an estimated 6,000 Palestinians. The Biden administration acknowledged that sending Palestinians back to Gaza, which is ravaged by conflict and humanitarian crises, would be tantamount to sending them to death.
SEE: Biden blocks deportation of Palestinians in US, citing conditions in Gaza
END
CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com