ILAP Condemns Reconciliation Bill, a Failure of Both Morality and Public Policy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 11, 2025
CONTACT: press@ilapmaine.org
The Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (ILAP) unequivocally condemns the passage of the reconciliation budget bill. The bill contains cruel, sweeping changes to the humanitarian immigration system and approximately $170 billion dollars for mass deportation and enforcement policies, paid for by slashing social safety net programs for low-income people across the country.
Sue Roche, ILAP’s Executive Director said: “In the aftermath of World War II, the United States promised to never again return people to countries where their lives or freedom would be at risk. Those promises are embodied in our immigration laws and in the international treaties we signed. While our humanitarian immigration system had a way to go to become more just, accessible, and humane, the sweeping changes of law and billions of dollars for immigration enforcement in the reconciliation bill abandon bedrock American values and principles and send us back in time.”
Some of the changes to the humanitarian immigration system that will do profound harm to already-vulnerable people include:
A non-waivable $100 fee to apply for asylum and a $100 dollar fee for every year the case is pending (something an individual applicant has no control over). The bill also caps the number of immigration judges in the system, further slowing the process. Under prior law there was no fee to apply for asylum and no fee for pending cases.
A $250 fee for a child to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, a protection for immigrant children who have experienced abuse, neglect, or abandonment. There was previously no fee.
A non-waivable $500 fee to apply for Temporary Protected Status, a humanitarian protection for people already in the U.S. when safe return to their home country is impossible. The previous law had a $50 waivable fee and no fee for renewals.
A $900 fee to appeal an immigration judge’s decision, with some exceptions. There was previously no fee for appealing cases that did not have any underlying filing fee (like asylum).
Authorizing the indefinite incarceration of children and families in ICE family detention centers, previously prohibited by court order.
In Maine, ILAP has observed a dramatic increase in immigration enforcement in the months since the Trump administration came to power. There are billions in the bill allocated for mass immigration enforcement, including $45 billion to construct new detention centers, including those that will house children and families. According to the American Immigration Council, “This represents a 265 percent annual budget increase to ICE’s current detention budget. It is a 62 percent larger budget than the entire federal prison system and could result in daily detention of at least 116,000 non-citizens.” Other enforcement funding in the bill includes $30 billion for enforcement operations, $46 billion to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a $10 billion slush fund for CBP, and more.
The National Immigrant Law Center has released a full overview of the bill here.
Roche continued: “This bill is immoral, and it is a public policy failure that will have massive consequences for all of us. But no matter what lies ahead, ILAP will continue to stand with Maine’s strong, resilient, and powerful immigrant communities and we will continue to advocate for an immigration system that reflects our shared humanity and highest values.”
Note for Immigrant Communities & Allies in Maine:
In the weeks ahead, ILAP and partners will be analyzing more of this bill and helping to break down what it means for communities here in Maine. Sign up for our newsletters and social media here: https://ilapmaine.org/connect
If you are currently in need of immigration legal assistance, you can request an appointment with ILAP here: https://ilapmaine.org/get-legal-help
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