NILC: Midterm Elections Should Lead to Action for Immigrants

WASHINGTON — As polling centers were closing yesterday, pollsters and pundits declared a solid victory for the Republican Party, which in January 2015 will assume majority status in both the Senate and House of Representatives. This outcome, which was widely predicted by pundits on both sides of the aisle, was a result of low voter turnout and a continuation of historic patterns of presidential party losses during midterm elections. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“For most immigrant families struggling to make ends meet and living in fear of having their family ripped apart, yet committed to one day achieving the American Dream, the elections won’t change much. There is still a need for federal, state, and local policies that provide relief from deportation and that allow people to work lawfully, live free from the fear of deportation, and have access to health care and safety-net programs, as well as education and other forms of economic justice.

“Whether Asian or Latino, African or European, new citizen voters and their allies made their voices heard tonight. It is time for President Obama to step up to the plate and lead boldly by using his authority to restore some sanity to our dysfunctional immigration system. With the stroke of a pen, the president can create a process that allows aspiring citizens to come forward to apply for the work authorization they need to contribute more fully to their communities and our economy.

“Our elected officials will face significant challenges over the next two years. They have a choice: They can choose to push for tax fairness and support workers who currently live paycheck to paycheck, or they can cut holes in our already tattered social safety net and push all families, regardless of where they were born, deeper into poverty. We will watch closely to ensure that immigrant families — too often scapegoated in attempts to advance an anti-worker agenda — are not unfairly denied the opportunity to provide for their families.”

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