FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2021

CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, [email protected], 213-375-3149

National Immigration Law Center Statement on President Biden’s First Joint Session Speech to Congress

WASHINGTON — President Biden today delivered his first speech before a joint session of Congress. In his speech, Biden renewed his call to Congress to pass legislation this year to reform the U.S. immigration system.

Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“In his first 100 days in office, President Biden has sent a clear signal that our country is ready to chart a new course on immigration. We were heartened to hear the president reiterate that commitment tonight before both chambers of Congress and millions of Americans watching at home, and we urge Congress to meet President Biden’s words of encouragement with courageous, bold action.

“Immigrants are essential to our nation. President Biden’s ability to follow through on the vision he put forth for immigrants will determine whether he will make history not only by undoing the harms of the previous administration but by creating a transformational immigration system that will impact millions of immigrants, their families and loved ones, their communities, and our country as a whole.

“We expect President Biden and Democrats who currently wield the levers of power to deliver on his promises to enact a 21st century immigration system that reflects the values we aspire to as a nation and our role as a global leader. We cannot  let the tired Republican playbook get in the way of long-overdue action on immigration.

“These times call for moral imagination and courageous leadership. Immigration is one of the defining issues of our time, yet politicians have spent more than 30 years talking and not taking action on much-needed reforms. President Biden must lean into this moment when there is broad public support for bold solutions for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who call the U.S. home and who urgently need a pathway to U.S. citizenship. That includes immigrant youth who grew up here, long-time residents with temporary protections, and millions of essential workers helping us get through the pandemic.

“We must take every opportunity available to provide them all a pathway to citizenship as part of our efforts to set our country on a path to a just recovery that lifts us all. There is no recovery without immigrants.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2021

CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, [email protected], 213-375-3149

National Immigration Law Center and Immigrant Justice Fund Name New Chief Communications Officer

LOS ANGELES — The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) and the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF) today announced the promotion of Victoria Ballesteros to serve as chief communications officer for the organizations. In this role, Ballesteros joins NILC and IJF’s executive leadership teams and will develop innovative communication and narrative strategy approaches in furtherance of NILC and IJF’s respective missions, while articulating the vision and impact of the two organizations.

“NILC and IJF’s strategic decision to create this new role signals a recognition of the importance of communication as a strategic driver of our work,” stated Ballesteros. “As the daughter of immigrants, I am humbled and honored to step into this role and shift the public narrative around the role of immigrants in our country, to advocate for a society where we all have the freedom to thrive, and to build visibility of immigrants as an important political constituency.”

“Victoria’s breadth of experience in communications and executive leadership make her the right person to guide our work advocating and amplifying immigrant voices,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of NILC and IJF. “Her leadership as director of communications over the past year has taken our communications efforts to new heights, and we’re thrilled to continue our work together in this new leadership role.”

Ballesteros joined NILC and IJF in 2020 as director of communications. In that role, she led NILC’s narrative and strategic communications work, as well as IJF’s political communications efforts during the 2020 election cycle. A search is currently underway for a new director of communications for NILC and IJF.

Ballesteros has more than 20 years of communications and prior executive leadership experience, including leading communication research and advocacy campaigns primarily in the nonprofit and public sectors. She has worked for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Children’s Defense Fund, the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency, California’s Senate Majority Leader, and for The SCAN Foundation.

Ballesteros has a master’s degree in communication management from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the California State University, Fullerton, with a minor in Chicano studies. She is fluent in Spanish and resides in Los Angeles.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2021

CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, [email protected], 213-375-3149

National Immigration Law Center Statement on the Verdict in the Derek Chauvin Murder Trial

WASHINGTON — Upon the announcement that a jury found Derek Chauvin guilty on all three charges in the murder of George Floyd, Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“The jury voted to convict Derek Chauvin on all counts. Though the verdict is just, this is not justice. Justice will not be served until we dismantle the sanctioned white supremacy plaguing Black communities and communities of color and invest in all communities so that everyone has the freedom to thrive. We demand more.

“George Floyd was murdered. No verdict can give back the life that was taken from him. No single verdict can fix a system founded on violence and dehumanization. No single verdict can ease the fear wrought by an unbroken history of white supremacy and police violence against people of color.

“The march toward justice began long ago, and yet there is a long road ahead. Today gives hope for the work to which we have committed ourselves, but today remains a day we mourn as we keep George Floyd, his loved ones, and all the people who have been killed or impacted by police violence in our hearts.”

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