Author Archives: monica

Immigration Reform: Poison-Pill Amendment Rejected

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 14, 2013

CONTACT:
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected], or
Gebe Martinez, 703-731-9505, [email protected]

Judiciary Committee Rejects Poison Pill Visa Cap Amendment to Senate Bill

WASHINGTON — An amendment offered by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) that would have capped the number of visas available for workers was solidly rejected Tuesday by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

By a 17-1 vote, the committee turned aside the Sessions amendment, which reflects the views of the most extreme anti-immigrant voices in the immigration debate and would have driven a stake through the heart of the Senate’s immigration reform bill. The only senator who voted in favor of the amendment was Sessions himself.

Below is a statement from Don Lyster, director of the National Immigration Law Center’s Washington, DC, office:

“We are pleased that the Senate Judiciary Committee continues to keep its commitment to commonsense immigration reform by striking down ‘poison pill’ provisions that are designed to kill the bill before it ever reaches the Senate floor.

“The rejection of the Sessions amendment was particularly important because it caused other conservatives on the committee to reaffirm the fact that immigration is a fundamental pillar of our society and our economy.

“We look forward to the Senate’s consideration of provisions that would protect workers, such as one by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) that would provide whistleblower protections to H-2B temporary workers. In order for the immigration system to work and to place employers and workers on a level playing field, immigrant workers must be able to live and work free from fear that they will be retaliated against if they report worksite abuses by employers.”

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NILC Statement on Markup of Senate Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

IMMIGRATION REFORM BILL
National Immigration Law Center Statement on the First Day of Senate Markup

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee voted on the first of several proposed amendments to S. 744, the bipartisan immigration reform bill introduced two weeks ago. Amendments to the “triggers” and components of Title I (also known as the border component of the bill), as well as a vote on the manager’s amendments, were brought forward and addressed. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, who attended today’s proceedings:

“The Senate Judiciary Committee demonstrated its commitment to commonsense immigration reform today, rejecting poison pills such as Senator Grassley’s proposal to delay putting aspiring citizens on the road to citizenship by placing onerous border triggers in the bill.

“Throughout today’s session, we heard competing visions for our nation’s immigration system. Some senators, led by Senators Sessions and Grassley, presented a retread of the scare tactics they have successfully used to feed an insatiable detention and deportation appetite that has had a devastating impact on families and local communities.

“Fortunately, common sense prevailed: the majority of the committee heeded the demands of the majority of Americans to finally bring our immigration system in line with our societal and economic needs and values. This landmark bill will face many additional tests, but we are pleased to see that voices of reason focused on solutions to fix our immigration system prevailed today.”

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Onerous Exclusions in Draft Immigration Reform Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 30, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]
Gebe Martinez, 703-731-9505, [email protected]

Immigration: Onerous Exclusions Threaten Success of Proposed Reforms

Is Senate trying to create road to citizenship or speedway to deportation?

WASHINGTON — As the Senate Judiciary Committee begins work to amend the Senate immigration reform bill, leaders of national immigrants’ rights advocacy groups urged lawmakers to remove significant hurdles in the draft bill that would keep countless immigrants from achieving legal status and citizenship.

During a conference call with the news media, leaders of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Immigrant Justice Network (IJN), Mi Familia Vota (MFV), National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) agreed the bipartisan Senate bill is a monumental first step in reforming immigration and creating a road to citizenship, but it is loaded with work and income requirements, fees, eligibility restrictions, and other roadblocks that undermine the goal of legalizing immigrants now living and working in the shadows.

“We urge the Senate Judiciary Committee to carefully consider whether they are trying to create a road to citizenship that is direct, broad, and inclusive, or whether the many roadblocks will threaten the success of immigration reform,” said NILC Executive Director Marielena Hincapié, who moderated the call.

Among the unrealistic provisions that would block a person’s application:

  • Applicants must prove they have resources at 125 percent of the federal poverty level, a requirement that is too high for those who work multiple jobs at very low wages and struggle to make ends meet.
  • Applicants must prove regular employment, a difficult requirement for those who work temporary jobs, such as day laborers or domestic workers who take care of children and older adults.
  • Fees and fines that would have to be paid at various points in the legalization and citizenship program would consume months of pay for just one person.
  • The financial burden is compounded by the proposal to not allow successful applicants to receive health care under the Affordable Care Act.
  • The cutoff date of Dec. 31, 2011, for eligibility is arbitrary and would automatically leave out hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
  • Because of inadequate due process or judicial discretion rights in the current law and proposed bill, immigrants are still not entitled to have a fair day in court. Some provisions would increase the likelihood that an immigrant will end up in immigration court rather than on a road to legalization and citizenship.

“This bill requires major work to make sure the ultimate law is fair, practical and realistic,” said CHIRLA Executive Director Angelica Salas. “We want the path to citizenship to be real; we don’t want it to be a mirage.”

The Senate’s “Gang of 8” proposal “punishes people for being poor, the working poor,” said Kevin Appleby, director of the Immigrant Defense Project for the Conference of Bishops. “Many Americans would have a hard time meeting some of these costs.”

“Immigrants who have legal violations on their record are held to a stricter legal standard in immigration court and yet have limited legal rights,” said Alisa Wellek, deputy director of the Immigrant Defense Project and partner with the Immigrant Justice Network. “Immigration judges should have the right to consider the age of the violation, restitution or other corrective measures already performed, military service by legal permanent residents, etc. Immigration judges should be allowed to judge.”

Also on the call was Alexander Ndaula, 32, a native of South Africa who grew up in Uganda and came to the U.S. 17 years ago. He now has a conviction for a nonviolent offense that is keeping him from gaining legal status and citizenship. “I have a wife and child born in the U.S. But I am in limbo. I have lived here more than half of my life, but I do not yet see a solution to help me fix my status,” Ndaula said.

Francisco Heredia, MFV’s National Field Director, said their offices in states with high Latino populations continue to hear concerns from community members about mistreatment of immigrant workers by employers, family separations under current immigration law and excessive law enforcement. MFV is sponsoring rallies on Wednesday throughout the U.S. to remind lawmakers that immigration reform needs to be fair.

Latino community members “are optimistic, but they know that we need to lift our voices up to makes sure we make this bill a strong bill for our community,” Heredia said.

Listen to the news conference at www.nilc.org/document.html?id=904.

 

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Cert Denied in Alabama Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, National Immigration Law Center, 213-400-7822, [email protected]
Apreill Hartsfield, Southern Poverty Law Center, 334-782-6624, [email protected]
Isabel Alegria, ACLU national, 415-343-0785, [email protected]

Supreme Court Rejects Alabama’s Request to Review the State’s Anti-immigrant Law

Eleventh Circuit Appeals Court Ruling Blocking Law’s Criminalizing Acts of Kindness Remains in Place

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected the state of Alabama’s request to review a provision of the state’s anti-immigrant law that was blocked by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit last year.

In February, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange petitioned the Supreme Court to consider the provision of the law that criminalizes neighborly acts of kindness, or Section 13, the “harboring and transporting” provision. This provision criminalized individuals who engaged in routine daily activities with undocumented immigrants.

The circuit court has blocked most of Alabama’s anti-immigrant law as unconstitutional, including provisions that would have chilled Latino student access to Alabama elementary schools.

Last summer, the Supreme Court struck down most of Arizona’s SB 1070, which served as a model for the Alabama law. The Court ruled that much of the Arizona law was unconstitutional because it interfered with federal authority over immigration.

“The Supreme Court has rightly struck another nail in the coffin of laws that attempt to sanction racial profiling,” said Karen Tumlin, managing attorney for the National Immigration Law Center. “Alabama’s legislators, both at the state and at the federal levels should take note: they, like the rest of the country, should move forward, not backward, to bring our immigration laws in line with our societal and economic needs.”

“The Supreme Court’s decision to not hear the case was expected,” said Sam Brooke, staff attorney of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “The high court invalidated most of Arizona’s immigration law last year, stating unequivocally that immigration is a federal issue and states may not create their own enforcement schemes. That is why the lower courts already blocked Alabama’s law.” Mr. Brooke further noted, “We need meaningful and comprehensive immigration reform from Washington, D.C. Hopefully the lessons learned from H.B. 56 will motivate Congress to act quickly to address this pressing issue.”

“The Supreme Court made the right decision not to hear this case,” said Cecillia Wang, director of the ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project. “All the lower federal courts — and the court of public opinion — have said no to divisive state laws like this one, and Americans have moved on  to support immigration reform that creates a new common sense immigration system.

The Eleventh Circuit has also blocked the following provisions of the law:

  • Section 11, which criminalized day laborers’ first amendment right to solicit work; and
  • Section 28, which requires the immigration verification of newly enrolled K-12 students.

The civil rights organizations involved in HICA v. Bentley, the class-action challenge to Alabama’s anti-immigrant law, include the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Alabama, the National Immigration Law Center, the Asian Law Caucus, the Asian American Justice Center, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Day Laborers’ Organizing Network, and LatinoJustice-PRLDEF.

More information about HICA v. Bentley is available at www.nilc.org/hb56hvb.html.

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Immigration Reform in Congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-674-2832; [email protected]

MOVING FORWARD—AND BACKWARD—ON IMMIGRATION
While Senate Lays Groundwork for Bipartisan Immigration Reform, House Members Attempt Retread of Partisan Politics

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee formally opened discussion about the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 this morning. As expected, amendments to the legislation, which was introduced last week by a bipartisan group of eight senators, won’t be considered until May 9. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“Today marked the beginning of what will undoubtedly be a thorough amendment session on the Gang of Eight’s immigration reform bill. As Senator Schumer noted, this bill isn’t perfect. We hope the markup session scheduled for most of May will improve the bill by making a road to citizenship achievable for all aspiring citizens, regardless of their socioeconomic status.

“As Senator Klobuchar noted, although the bill is complicated, senators need to read only 40 pages of it per day to ensure that they are fully prepared for the next stage in its legislative process. Furthermore, she reminded her colleagues that although this bill is new, the issues are the same ones they dealt with six years ago, because Congress has failed to act. We agree.

“Unfortunately, the show of bipartisanship did not extend to other side of the Capitol. Shortly before the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Goodlatte and a few colleagues attempted to peddle a retread of failed, partisan politics as their version of a “solution” to fix our broken immigration system. It appears that some members of the House of Representatives failed to understand the message delivered by millions of Latino and Asian American voters in 2012: We are tired of playing politics on immigration, an issue that affects our families, communities and economy. We urge Rep. Goodlatte and others to join his colleagues — on both sides of the aisle — to enact commonsense immigration reform that creates a direct and inclusive road to citizenship.”

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NILC Responds to Senate Immigration Reform Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

National Immigration Law Center Responds to Introduction of Immigration Reform Bill

WASHINGTON — The bipartisan “Gang of Eight” U.S. senators today introduced a bill (the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act) that, if enacted, would represent the largest-scale change to the nation’s immigration laws in more than 25 years. The plan includes a road to citizenship for immigrants who have been in the country without authorization since before Dec. 31, 2011, and proposes to reduce visa backlogs for those who have been waiting for years to be reunited with their loved ones. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“Today, senators delivered on their months-long promise to finally come up with a plan to bring our country’s immigration laws in line with our societal needs and economic well-being. This historic proposal would create a road to citizenship for many of the millions of aspiring citizens who have lived and worked in this country for decades. The bill would also lift the specter of deportation from millions more families who face the constant fear that their undocumented loved one is one traffic ticket away from deportation. If enacted, this law would bring our legal reality in line with what we all already know: that the 11 million people living and working in this country without papers are a fundamental part of the fabric of our nation’s society.

“As with all bipartisan legislation, this bill contains many compromises, some of which may have been made in hopes of strengthening the chances that this legislation would ultimately become law. Unfortunately, many of these compromises threaten the health and stability of immigrants and their U.S. citizen family members by excluding them from our most important health care and social insurance programs or by requiring U.S. employers to use an electronic employment eligibility verification system that is much more likely to hurt authorized immigrant workers than native-born workers. We should not sacrifice sound public policy at the altar of political expedience.

“This bill introduction is merely the first act of what will undoubtedly be a long political play. We will work with policymakers, advocates, and community members each and every step of the way to hold these legislators — and the rest of Washington — to their promises to finally bring our immigration laws in line with our values for fairness, equality, and justice. Current and aspiring citizens deserve nothing less, and our country can and must do better than the status quo.”

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Right’s Groups Urge Better Policy from “Gang of 8”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]
Cristina Parker, BNHR, 915-875-9107, [email protected]
Ricardo Favela, SBCC, 760-468-4519, [email protected]

An Incomplete Border Trip

Rights Groups Urge Senate “Gang of 8” Members to Adopt a Better Border Policy

NOGALES, AZ —  Four senators who have pledged to revamp the nation’s immigration laws visited the U.S.-Mexico border this week, prompting a broad coalition of immigrants’ and human rights organizations to urge lawmakers to enact better border policies that restore border residents’ basic rights.

In recent years, the Border Patrol has come under strong criticism by border communities for its lack of transparency in cases involving border agents’ use of excessive and disproportionate force. Since 2010, at least 20 civilians have been killed and several others have been seriously injured. Most cases remain unresolved.

The senatorial delegation arrived in Arizona yesterday, a day after Senator McCain cancelled a town hall meeting with residents who expected to raise concerns over Border Patrol conduct and less than 6 months after the deadly cross-border shooting of 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodríguez. The teenage boy was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents while standing on the Mexican side of the border wall, near the area that was visited by the senators.

Local community organizations welcomed the senators’ visit but were disappointed that lawmakers did not take time to meet with border residents to learn about their experiences with harsh border security initiatives.

“Dialogue with border communities is fundamental in the development of commonsense immigration reform,” said Rev. Randy Mayer, Pastor of the Good Shepherd United Church of Christ in Sahuarita, AZ. “Without fully understanding our communities, it will be difficult for the senators to establish a clear balance between national security concerns and the economic and social needs of the nation.”

“Accountability over the Border Patrol is vital to the region,” continued Rev. Mayer, who also is a leading member of the Arizona-Sonora Communities Coalition and the Southern Border Communities Coalition, two of the organizations urging lawmakers to adopt better border policies.

“Instead of only focusing on border security, the senators have the responsibility to assess the full context of the border, including how border communities contribute to the culture and economy of this country,” added Rev. Mayer.

An estimated 6 million people, or one in every 24 jobs, depend on trade with Mexico, for example. The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that every minute of delay at the five busiest southern ports costs the U.S. economy $116 million, and the cumulative loss over the next 10 years could be as much as $86 billion.

A broad coalition of immigrant and human rights groups have urged members of the Gang of 8 to ensure that an immigration reform bill includes accountability and oversight mechanisms over U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, to prevent unnecessary deaths and injuries and to encourage more investment in modernizing the congested ports of entry along the southern border.

The coalition includes:  Border Network for Human Rights, National Immigration Law Center, Detention Watch Network, Rights Working Group, National Day Laborer Organizing Network, ACLU of New Mexico Regional Center for Border Rights, National Guestworker Alliance, National Domestic Workers Alliance, and Southern Border Communities Coalition.

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Senate Hearing on Detention & Deportation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 20, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

Senate Hearing Exposes Broken Immigration Detention and Deportation System

Groups Urge Congress to Restore Due Process, Fairness in Immigration System

WASHINGTON —  The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing today to expose our current immigration system’s disregard of due process and civil rights. Witnesses at the hearing, which was chaired by Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), explained that the immigration detention system fails to uphold basic due process rights and that the judicial system bars judges from using their judgment to determine whether an immigrant should be deported.

Attorneys and advocates who work with immigrants have long decried the country’s current detention and deportation system. Immigrants have been cut off from access to their lawyers and loved ones during lengthy detention, and judges have been forced to deport immigrants with U.S. citizen children for minor offenses.

“Immigrants’ cases work through the civil system, but there’s nothing civil about the way this country treats those who are fighting to remain with their families,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. “By not providing immigrants with a fair day in court and access to lawyers to help them present their cases, we’ve shattered too many families and communities. Congress should take advantage of this golden opportunity to create immigration laws that restore dignity by ending programs that encourage immigrants to sign away their rights and reinstating a judge’s right to determine what’s appropriate for the immigration cases she reviews.”

Expert witnesses explained that current detention and deportation policies add tremendous expense to the federal budget, a fact highlighted earlier this year when the Migration Policy Institute demonstrated that the federal government spent more on federal immigration enforcement than on all federal criminal enforcement programs combined.

“Access to attorneys and courts and a basic set of rules for how we’re all treated in the justice system are central tenants of American values,” said Royce Bernstein Murray, director of policy at the National Immigrant Justice Center. “Congress has an opportunity to create an immigration system that honors these beliefs for years to come. Any legislative immigration reform must ensure that people who are seeking immigration status or fighting deportation have access to counsel and the opportunity to have their cases heard by judges. Congress also needs to use this opportunity to eliminate disproportionate punishments that lock people up or sentence them to permanent banishment simply for migrating to make a better life for their families. Finally, Congress must fulfill its responsibilities in our nation’s checks-and-balances system by enacting legally enforceable standards for how the Department of Homeland Security treats people in the immigration detention system.”

The hearings come shortly before Congress goes on a two-week recess, where they will discuss upcoming immigration reform legislation with their constituents. These districts include hundreds of thousands of families that have been separated by deportation policies, and millions more that hope to soon be on the road to citizenship. Immigration reform legislation is expected to be introduced in both chambers in the near future.

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Nominee for Secretary of Labor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

Secretary of Labor Nominee Is a Strong Supporter of Immigrant Workers

Tom Perez’s Voice Will Be a Valuable Contribution to the Immigration Debate, Says Marielena Hincapié of National Immigration Law Center

WASHINGTON — President Obama today announced that Tom Perez, the current assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, would be his nominee for secretary of labor. Before assuming his post at the Department of Justice, Perez served as secretary of labor in Maryland. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.

“We applaud the Obama administration for nominating Tom Perez for this important position that greatly impacts low-wage immigrant workers. Tom has dedicated his career to defending the basic rights of all people, no matter where they were born. Nowhere is this type of dedication more necessary than in the chief federal official in charge of enforcing our labor laws. We hope that, as the son of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, he will continue in former Secretary Hilda Solis’s footsteps and fight to ensure that immigrant workers are not left vulnerable to exploitation at the workplace and that abusive employers are not permitted to have an economic advantage over those businesses that play by the rules.

“Under his leadership, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has protected our constitutional rights by challenging racial profiling laws in Arizona, Alabama, and elsewhere. Tom’s voice—as an advocate for workers, families, and immigrants—will be a valuable contribution to the immigration reform debate as it heats up on a national level. We call on the Senate to confirm this nomination promptly.”

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Inclusive, Humane Immigration Reform Urged

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2013

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

Hundreds of Groups Urge Congress to Enact Inclusive, Humane Immigration Reform

Aspiring Citizens Should Have Responsibilities — and Rights — of All Americans, Say National Immigration Law Center and Others

WASHINGTON  — More than 360 organizations from 28 states today sent a letter to President Barack Obama and members of Congress urging that programs and public services that meet basic human needs be included in commonsense immigration reform. Groups signing onto the letter include the AFL-CIO, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, the National Association of Social Workers, the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the National Immigration Law Center.

“All Americans — whether U.S.-born or aspiring citizens — should have equal access to affordable health care,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. “Those on the road to citizenship should be afforded the same rights — and responsibilities — as their fellow Americans, and no less. Immigration reform that fully integrates the 11 million citizens-in-waiting will strengthen our families and communities.”

“At Church World Service, we work to eradicate hunger throughout the world,” said Rev. John L. McCullough, president and CEO of Church World Service. “The gospel vision of multiplying loaves and fishes tells us that there is enough for all. Now is the time for Congress to enact commonsense immigration reform, and CWS affirms that it is better for the holistic health of our communities to ensure access to health care for immigrants as they pursue a path to citizenship.”

These organizations are members of the national campaign to promote equal access to health care and other safety-net programs.

“It is in the best interest of all Americans and our economy to ensure that immigrants are able to integrate fully into society, succeed in the workforce, and share in labor and economic protections,” said Alan Houseman, executive director of CLASP. “CLASP looks forward to working alongside our immigrant and anti-poverty allies to ensure that access for aspiring Americans to key health and nutrition programs is a part of immigration reform.”

Organizations from New York to Hawaii signed the letter, which was addressed to President Obama and the members of Congress engaged in immigration reform negotiations. Groups from crucial swing states, including North Carolina, Colorado, and Ohio, also have joined the campaign, signaling widespread interest in ensuring that the nation’s immigration laws create stable, thriving, and healthy communities.

“Today, as in the past, immigrants are helping to strengthen our nation,” said Deborah Weinstein, executive director of the Coalition on Human Needs. “To keep our democracy strong, we must not exclude immigrants from the health care and other services they need.”

The campaign represents a broad coalition of organizations invested in fighting poverty and promoting sound public health policy. The organizations have asked Congress to create immigration policy that mirrors America’s values and promotes economic security for all low-income families. This can be achieved by ensuring that the following components are included in immigration reform legislation:

  • A core safety net for citizens and immigrants residing in the U.S., which will reinforce efforts to achieve national progress in health and nutrition.
  • Access to key programs and public services that meet basic human needs, including health services and insurance, and nutrition assistance.
  • Investment in robust efforts to integrate immigrants into their communities.

“Children of immigrants are one-fourth of the kids in America, so getting immigration reform done means getting it right for kids,” Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus. “And protecting access to health care and other critical services is an important part of making reform work for kids.”

Groups representing Latinos and Asian Americans also joined the campaign, noting that their communities are too often among those least likely to have access to affordable health care and basic nutrition.

“Access to health insurance and basic preventive care is vital for immigrant Latinas’ reproductive health, the well-being of our families, and our nation’s future,” said Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. “We look forward to working with policymakers to find commonsense solutions that keep our families healthy and our communities strong.”

“The Asian & Pacific American Islander Health Forum calls on Congress to pass a commonsense immigration policy reform package immediately that includes a clear road to citizenship and access to affordable health care,” said Kathy Ko Chin, president and CEO of APIAHF. “For Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a fair and just immigration process is urgently needed as 60 percent of Asian Americans and 30 percent of Pacific Islanders are foreign-born. Our current immigration system flies in the face of our nation’s principles of equality and justice, and has taken a huge psychological toll on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who have invested deeply in America, but are prevented from realizing their full potential.”

The National Immigration Law Center envisions a society in which all those living in the United States — regardless of country of origin, gender, or socioeconomic status — can live, work, and raise their families with dignity. More about the National Immigration Law Center’s immigration reform priorities is available at www.nilc.org/nilcirpriorities2013.html.

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