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WASHINGTON
– President Barack Obama yesterday reiterated his commitment to
immigration reform during an important conversation on comprehensive
immigration reform between Secretary for Homeland Security Janet
Napolitano and law enforcement, faith, business, and immigration
leaders.
“We are encouraged to
see that the administration remains committed to enacting real and
humane immigration reform in the near future,” said Marielena Hincapié,
a meeting attendee and executive director of the National Immigration
Law Center (NILC).
During their
discussions, Hincapié stressed to Napolitano and her team the need for
inter-agency collaboration in revamping labor and employment law
enforcement to discourage employers who recruit, hire, and exploit
undocumented workers. She called on the Dept. of Homeland Security
(DHS) to work with federal labor and employment agencies, which
Secretary Napolitano agreed was important.
“By focusing on labor
rights, we can improve conditions for all workers as well as remove
incentives for unscrupulous employers to hire laborers who are unable to
defend their rights,” Hincapié said. “If the administration continues
to rely exclusively on law enforcement–based measures, it will risk
increasing the distrust of the federal and local governments among
undocumented men and woman, making future comprehensive immigration
reform promises more difficult for the public to accept.
“Only time will tell
as to whether yesterday’s meeting was simply a listening session or
whether today’s actions represent a shift in policy priorities for
Napolitano to move her energy away from focusing solely on immigration
enforcement measures and begin advocating for humane and just
immigration reform.”
The National
Immigration Law Center works to promote and advance the rights of
low-income immigrants and their families.
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