Category Archives: August 2019

NILC Denounces New Trump Rule to Hold Children and Families in Detention Indefinitely

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2019

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Juan Gastelum, 213-375-3149
Hayley Burgess, 202-384-1279

NILC Denounces New Trump Rule to Hold Children and Families in Detention Indefinitely

LOS ANGELES — The Trump administration today announced a regulation intended to circumvent longstanding protections for children detained by immigration officials. The new rule, which is expected to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, is designed to eviscerate the settlement agreement in Flores v. Reno, which has for decades required minimum safety and custody standards for children in immigrant detention and required they be released within 20 days. In doing so,the government seeks to ignore basic standards of care and indefinitely detain children and families seeking safety and a better life in the United States.

Avideh Moussavian, legislative director for the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“Today’s announcement is yet another example of this administration’s callous disregard for the health and wellbeing of children. This unspeakably cruel rollback will result in more children in cages and more families locked up, despite enormously successful, humane, and cost-effective alternatives the government willfully refuses to implement. It will grant greater authority to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, an agency that, under Trump’s watch, has allowed at least seven children to die in its custody in the past year alone.

“This new rule would allow DHS to hold people indefinitely, without oversight or other basic standards of care and protections required by the Flores agreement. We must fight this latest policy in Trump’s ongoing agenda of cruelty and his administration’s efforts to skirt the law and our democratic processes.”

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Trump “Public Charge” Regulation Unlawful, Lawsuit Claims

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 16, 2019

CONTACT
– National Immigration Law Center: Hayley Burgess, 202-384-1279, [email protected]
– Western Center on Law & Poverty: Courtney McKinney, 214-395-2755, [email protected]
– Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles: Alison Vu, [email protected]

Trump “Public Charge” Regulation Unlawful, Lawsuit Claims

Nonprofits aim to block policy targeting millions of families of color

SAN FRANCISCO — Nonprofits serving immigrant communities and advocates for racial equity, health, children, farmworkers, and working families today filed suit to block implementation of the Trump administration’s “public charge” regulation, which threatens millions of immigrant families — disproportionally families of color. La Clínica de la Raza et al. v. Trump et al., filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, asks the court to declare the regulation issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unlawful and unconstitutional. DHS finalized the regulation on August 14, 2019.

“The public charge regulation is an attack on the culturally diverse families we serve, threatening their health and their very lives,” said Jane Garcia, chief executive officer of La Clínica de La Raza. “We will stand with our patients and their families and fight this.”

In addition to La Clínica de la Raza, the suit was brought by African Communities Together, the California Primary Care Association, the Central American Resource Center, the Council on American Islamic Relations – California, Farmworker Justice, the Korean Resource Center, the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, and Maternal and Child Health Access. The plaintiffs are represented by the National Immigration Law Center, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, the National Health Law Program, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

The complaint argues that the regulation was motivated by racial bias against nonwhite immigrants and asks the court to strike it down as a violation of Equal Protection under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. As indicators of a motivating racial animus, the complaint cites the administration’s acknowledgement that the policy will have a disparate impact on families of color, President Donald Trump’s own racist statements, and his administration’s other racially-biased policies.

“Donald Trump pushed to execute innocent Black men wrongly accused of murder. He called the white supremacists in Charlottesville ‘very fine people.’ He slurred Black immigrants from Haiti and Nigeria. And he froze or cancelled protected status for immigrants from majority-Black countries. Donald Trump’s words and his actions have consistently targeted Black families,” said Amaha Kassa, founder and executive director of African Communities Together. “When Ken Cuccinelli, the man who signed this regulation, goes on the radio and says ‘not everyone has the right to be an American,’ Black families know exactly who he’s talking about.”

“This rule change is a direct attack on communities of color and their families, and furthers this administration’s desire to make this country work primarily for the wealthy and white. Our immigration system cannot be based on the racial animosities of this administration, or whether or not people are wealthy,” said Antionette Dozier, senior attorney at the Western Center on Law and Poverty.

“This expansion of the rule is part and parcel of the administration’s crusade to instill fear in immigrant communities of color,” said Laboni Hoq, litigation director at Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles (Advancing Justice – LA). “By including criteria such as English language proficiency as a negative factor for obtaining permanent residency, the administration is telling immigrants that they are not welcome here. This is unacceptable. Xenophobia has no place in our country, let alone our laws.”

Plaintiffs also assert that the regulation violates the Administrative Procedure Act because it is contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious. The complaint also argues that the regulation is invalid because the official who approved its publication, Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, was appointed in violation of the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.

More than 260,000 public comments were submitted on the draft regulation last fall, the vast majority in opposition. The regulation targets programs that serve whole families — Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and Section 8 housing assistance — meaning its impact will extend well beyond immigrants directly affected. As a result, experts warn, the regulation will result in increases in hunger, unmet health and housing needs, and poverty. Because affected immigrants are overwhelmingly immigrants of color, the rule is also expected to widen racial disparities. Independent analysts estimate that the regulation threatens millions of people. A significant portion of those threatened by the regulation were born in the U.S., and nearly a third of those are children.

“This rule is a scare tactic designed to create fear and confusion in immigrant communities. The devastating effects will reach even further than the text of the rule itself, as immigrants and their families forgo vital food, housing, and health care services,” said Jane Perkins, legal director at the National Health Law Program.

La Clínica de la Raza and other plaintiffs are health care providers and other nonprofit organizations that seek to protect access to health care, nutrition, housing, and other government benefits for immigrants of color, regardless of their immigration status or financial means. The complaint asserts that the public charge regulation threatens their missions and the communities they serve.

“If the changes made to public charge are implemented, this will cause irrevocable damage to our communities. Deterring anyone from seeking public services that help them survive and support their families is inhumane,” said Carmela Castellano-Garcia, president and CEO of the California Primary Care Association. “We have an obligation to our patients and our communities to protect the rights of everyone, regardless of immigration status, which is why we are suing to stop the implementation of this rule.”

“The Trump administration has deliberately designed this policy to target families of color, which is part of its overall blueprint to change the face of what we look like as a nation and who is considered worthy of being an American. It threatens immigrants of color with exclusion and Americans of color with deprivation or family separation. And it aims to deny working-class immigrants of color the ability to thrive in the land of opportunity,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. “We will not stand for it. We’re fighting back against this racist policy, and we’re going to win the fight to protect immigrant families.”

Today’s filing is available at www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Clinica-de-la-Raza-v-Trump-complaint-2019-08-16.pdf.

The recording of today’s conference call regarding this filing is available at www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/public-charge-lawsuit-2019-08-16.mp3.

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Los abogados prometen bloquear el ataque de Trump a millones de familias y a la democracia americana

PARA DIFUSIÓN INMEDIATA
12 de agosto de 2019

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

Los abogados prometen bloquear el ataque de Trump a millones de familias y a la democracia americana

Los abogados instan al Congreso a rechazar la reglamentación de “carga pública”

WASHINGTON, DC — Los abogados de las familias inmigrantes y la oportunidad económica denunciaron un nuevo reglamento del gobierno de Trump que tiene como finalidad privar a millones de familias del acceso a la atención médica y a otros programas o correr el riesgo del rechazo a conseguir el estado de residencia permanente legal en los Estados Unidos. Este reglamento de “carga pública” recibió un número récord de comentarios, la extensa mayoría de ellos opuesta al movimiento de Trump. Ahora que la norma ha terminado, los abogados se están movilizando en las cortes y en el Congreso para bloquear su puesta en práctica.

“Esta política niega un futuro permanente y seguro en este país a todas las personas que no sean blancas y ricas,” dijo Marielena Hincapié, directora ejecutiva del Centro Nacional de Leyes Migratorias (National Immigration Law Center). “No lo toleraremos. El Centro Nacional de Leyes Migratorias se está preparando para presentar una demanda para luchar en contra de este reglamento y proteger a las familias inmigrantes”.

El reglamento de “carga pública” fue propuesta el otoño pasado por el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por su sigla en inglés). Las estimaciones independientes indicaron que amenazaría a unos 26 millones de personas en todo el país, directa o indirectamente. Además de enfocarse en inmigrantes de color, con discapacidades, y en quiénes tienen ingresos por debajo de $62,000, esa propuesta habría puesto las solicitudes para la admisión a los EE.UU. o solicitudes para una “tarjeta verde” en riesgo si un inmigrante utiliza ciertas prestaciones sociales.

“Esta administración ha sido constante en su uso de tácticas dañosas y odiosas para asustar a las comunidades inmigrantes y crear miedo y ansiedad a muchas familias inmigrantes y sus hijos,” dijo Olivia Golden, directora ejecutiva del Centro de Derecho y Política Social (Center for Law and Social Policy). “La rápida publicación de esta norma a pesar de más de un cuarto de millón de comentarios registrados durante el período de comentarios de 60 días indica que el gobierno ha elegido deliberadamente hacer caso omiso de las perspectivas, experiencias, e investigación proporcionadas por una amplia sección representativa de americanos.  Entre los observadores que han comentado hay miembros del Congreso, alcaldes, abogados para las mujeres y las comunidades de color, líderes espirituales, la comunidad médica, educadores, inmigrantes y muchos otros americanos. Estos observadores eran personas de todos los ámbitos de nuestro país que enviaron el mensaje de que este reglamento amenaza la fuerza económica de nuestro país, y el futuro de nuestros hijos. ¡La decisión de hacer caso omiso es vergonzosa y demuestra una falta de consideración por la ley!”

La propuesta atrajo más de 266,000 comentarios públicos, de forma aplastante en la oposición. Además, se opusieron a la propuesta grupos de abogados y proveedores de atención médica, abogados de alimentación, abogados de vivienda, directores ejecutivos de corporaciones, y abogados para la oportunidad económica, niños, y familias trabajadoras.

“Como pediatra, este reglamento de carga pública es un asalto a mi papel profesional — me siento inseguro sobre cómo orientar a familias cuando sé que esa inscripción en los servicios básicos que los mantendrán sanos podría comprometer la unidad familiar. Esta norma final sirve para intimidar y asustar aún más a las familias que buscan servicios necesarios para mantenerse sanos y productivos. Junto con otras inminentes propuestas, estas acciones dañinas tendrán consecuencias perjudiciales para la salud y bienestar del inmigrante,” dijo Julie Linton, MD, FAAP, presidenta de la American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Immigrant Child and Family Health.

El reglamento del DHS es uno de varios ataques recientes y planeados contra las familias inmigrantes de color. El Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos (DOJ, por su sigla en inglés) del gobierno de Trump ha redactado un reglamento complementario que ampliaría las deportaciones basadas en el uso de las familias inmigrantes de programas públicos. Los abogados cuentan con que el reglamento del DOJ tenga un mayor “efecto escalofriante”, debido a las consecuencias de la separación de la familia por la deportación. El Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano también propuso reglamentos que negaban la ayuda de vivienda a las familias de estado mixto que incluyen una persona indocumentada — un paso que según se informa podría llevar a que 55,000 niños nacidos en los EE.UU. se queden sin hogar. El Departamento de Comercio también intentó agregar una pregunta sobre la nacionalidad al censo 2020, incitando un pleito al final ganado que discutía que la política privaría del derecho al voto a votantes de color. Al igual que estas políticas, se espera que el reglamento de carga pública concluida hoy tenga un impacto desproporcionado en niños y familias de color.

“Esta inhumana norma con raíces racistas es una vergonzosa estratagema por parte del gobierno de Trump para manipular el sistema de inmigración para los ricos,” dijo Cynthia Buiza, directora ejecutiva del Centro de Política Inmigrante de California (California Immigrant Policy Center). “Nuestro mensaje a la fuerte y diversa comunidad inmigrante de nuestro estado es sencillo: California le dará su respaldo. Una red valiente de abogados y grupos de la comunidad está luchando por ustedes. No permitiremos que este dañino reglamento deshaga el poderoso trabajo que hemos hecho en California para proteger a todos los que consideran a nuestro estado su casa”.

“Para dejarlo claro, el reglamento de carga pública final de Trump sigue siendo racista, clasista y es parte de la agenda supremacista blanca de su gobierno para blanquear la composición de este país,” dijo Jonathan Jayes-Green, cofundador y director, de UndocuBlack Network. “Es inmoral, cruel y obliga a la gente a elegir entre sus necesidades básicas y la gente que ama. En todo el país, debido al miedo, la gente se está retirando de las prestaciones sociales para las cuales califica. Rechazamos estas tácticas basadas en el miedo y contraatacaremos como siempre hemos hecho”.

El Congreso también tiene el poder de bloquear la puesta en práctica del reglamento, y la Cámara de Representantes ya está tomando medidas para proteger a las familias. La Ley de Ningún Fondo Federal para Carga Pública, patrocinada por la representante Judy Chu (D-California), tiene más de 40 copatrocinadores y es respaldada por abogados clave. Como sugiere su nombre, la propuesta de ley bloquearía el financiamiento de la puesta en práctica del reglamento. La senadora Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) tiene pensado presentar legislación complementaria después del descanso del Congreso.

Una grabación de los comentarios de abogados durante una llamada de prensa hoy (en inglés) está disponible en www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PublicCharge-2019-08-12.mp3.

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Advocates Vow to Block Trump Attack on Millions of Families and American Democracy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2019

CONTACT
– National Immigration Law Center: Hayley Burgess, 202-805-0375, [email protected]
– Center on Law and Social Policy: Tom Salyers, 202-906-8010, [email protected]

Advocates Vow to Block Trump Attack on Millions of Families and American Democracy

Congress must reject “public charge” regulation, advocates urge

WASHINGTON — Advocates for immigrant families and economic opportunity spoke out against a new Trump administration regulation that aims to prevent millions of families from accessing health care and other programs or risk denial of lawful permanent status in the United States. This “public charge” regulation received a record number of comments, the vast majority opposed to Trump’s move. Now that the rule has been finalized, advocates are mobilizing in courts and in Congress to block its implementation.

“This policy denies a permanent, secure future in this country to anyone who isn’t white and wealthy,” said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center. “We will not stand for it. The National Immigration Law Center is preparing to sue to fight back against this regulation and protect immigrant families.”

The “public charge” regulation was proposed last fall by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Independent estimates indicated it would threaten about 26 million people nationwide, directly or indirectly. In addition to targeting immigrants of color, with disabilities, and who have incomes below $62,000, that proposal would have put applications for admission to the U.S. or applications for a “green card” at risk if an immigrant uses certain public benefits.

“This administration has been consistent in its use of harmful and hateful tactics to scare immigrant communities and create fear and anxiety for many immigrant families and their children,” said Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy. “The rapid publication of this rule despite more than a quarter of a million comments filed during the 60-day comment period indicates that the Administration has deliberately chosen to ignore the perspectives, experiences, and research provided by a broad cross-section of Americans.  These commenters included Members of Congress, Mayors, advocates for women and communities of color, faith leaders, the medical community, educators, immigrants and so many other Americans. These were people from all walks of life in our country who sent a message that this regulation threatens the economic strength of our country, and the future of our children. The decision to ignore them is shameful and lawless!”

The proposal drew more than 266,000 public comments, overwhelmingly in opposition. In addition, it was opposed by leading health care advocacy and provider groups, nutrition advocates, housing advocates, corporate CEOs, and advocates for economic opportunity, children, and working families.

“As a pediatrician, this public charge regulation is an assault on my professional role—I am unsure how to guide families when I know that enrollment in bread and butter services that keep them healthy could jeopardize the family unity. This final rule serves to further intimidate and frighten families who seek needed services to keep them healthy and productive. Taken together with other looming harmful proposals, these actions will have detrimental consequences on immigrant health and well-being,” said Julie Linton, MD, FAAP, Chair, American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Immigrant Child and Family Health.

The DHS regulation is one of several recent and planned attacks on immigrant families of color. Trump’s United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has drafted a companion regulation that would expand deportations based on immigrant families’ use of public programs. Advocates expect that the DOJ regulation will have an even greater “chilling effect,” because of the family separation consequences of deportation. The Department of Housing and Urban Development also proposed regulations denying housing assistance to mixed-status families that include an undocumented person—a move that could reportedly make 55,000 U.S.-born children homeless. The Commerce Department also attempted to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, prompting ultimately successful litigation arguing that the policy would disenfranchise voters of color. Like these policies, the public charge regulation finalized today is expected to have a disproportionate impact on children and families of color.

“This inhumane rule with racist roots is a shameful ploy by the Trump Administration to rig the immigration system for the wealthy,” said Cynthia Buiza, Executive Director, California Immigrant Policy Center. “Our message to our state’s strong, diverse immigrant community is simple: California has your back. A courageous network of advocates and community groups is fighting for you. We will not allow this harmful regulation to undo the powerful work we have done in California to protect all who call our state home.”

“To be clear, Trump’s final public charge regulation is still racist, classist and part of his administration’s white supremacist agenda to whiten the composition of this country,” said Jonathan Jayes-Green, Co-Founder and Director, UndocuBlack Network. “It is immoral, cruel and forces people to choose between their basic needs and the people they love. Across the country, out of fear, people are pulling out of public benefits that they qualify for. We reject these fear-based tactics and we will fight back as we always have.”

Congress also has the power to block the regulation’s implementation, and the House of Representatives is already taking action to protect families. The No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act, sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-California), has more than 40 cosponsors and is endorsed by key advocates. As its name suggests, the bill would block funding of the regulation’s implementation. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) intends to introduce companion legislation after the congressional recess.

A recording of advocates’ comments during a press call today is available at www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PublicCharge-2019-08-12.mp3.

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NILC Announces Intent to File Legal Challenge to Trump Public Charge Regulation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2019

CONTACT
Email: [email protected]
Juan Gastelum, 213-375-3149
Hayley Burgess, 202-384-1279

NILC Announces Intent to File Legal Challenge to Trump Public Charge Regulation

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration today posted the text, as a “public inspection document,” of a new regulation that would vastly expand the number of immigrants who may be deemed ineligible for lawful permanent residence based on their use of certain government services, household income, and other criteria. The rule, by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), expands on a century-old practice of penalizing immigrant families who sometimes struggle to make ends meet. It is a cornerstone of the administration’s attempts to redefine our legal immigration system in order to disenfranchise communities of color and favor the wealthy.

A draft of the “public charge” changes was first leaked to news outlets shortly after President Trump took office in 2017. An updated proposed rule was then published in the Federal Register in October 2018, prompting more than a quarter million public comments — overwhelmingly in opposition.

The National Immigration Law Center announced today that it will file a lawsuit challenging the new rule, which is slated to go into effect on October 15.

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

“This news is a cruel new step toward weaponizing programs that are intended to help people by making them, instead, a means of separating families and sending immigrants and communities of color one message: You are not welcome here. This latest racially-motivated policy is a painful reminder that behind Donald Trump’s bluster, bureaucrats like Stephen Miller will stop at nothing to attack immigrants and destroy our legal immigration system. It will have a dire humanitarian impact, forcing some families to forego critical life-saving health care and nutrition. The damage will be felt for decades to come.

“At the National Immigration Law Center, we have been fighting alongside our partners and communities for months to stop the Trump administration from carrying out this cruel and unlawful transformation of our immigration system. The time has come to take our fight to the courts, and we will do so shortly.

“Americans from all walks of life, including pediatricians, health care providers, educators, attorneys, and state and local elected leaders, have spoken out loud and clear: We must reject Trump’s attempts to skirt the law in order to radically reform our legal immigration system and undermine our democracy by blocking potential future voters from becoming permanent residents and citizens.

“As a leading national organization fighting to advance and defend the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants, we will fight with every tool we have available to ensure that everyone in our communities has the freedom to thrive and the necessary resources to do so. We look forward to seeing Trump in court — again — and to seeing justice prevail as we defend immigrant families and our democracy.”

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Spate of Mass Shootings Demands Response from All Elected Officials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 4, 2019

CONTACT
Hayley Burgess, [email protected], 202-805-0375

Spate of Mass Shootings Demands Response from All Elected Officials

LOS ANGELES — Dozens of people were killed and even more injured by mass shooters in Dayton, Ohio; El Paso, Texas; and Gilroy, California, over the past several days, with at least one shooting targeting Latinx and immigrant community members. Among the dead were community members and nationals of both the United States and Mexico who were engaging in everyday activities. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“This morning, we woke to another mass shooting — another wake-up call for the nation. Nearly 30 people lost their lives in two massacres over one weekend. The entire nation should mourn.

“After each of these horrific events, politicians offer their thoughts and prayers and have tried to distract us from having fundamentally necessary, substantive conversations about how white supremacy and toxic masculinity, combined with an utter absence of common sense gun-safety laws, have made it impossible for anyone to feel fully safe in any public setting in America. The perpetrators of these mass killings are being shaped by the hateful and divisive narrative and accompanying policies at the federal, state, and local levels that marginalize and demonize immigrant, Black, brown, LGBTQ, and other communities.

“The spate of shootings should spur a national discussion about the cultural and policy changes we must make in order to end this epidemic of mass violence and domestic white terrorism that our country continues to grapple with. Only then will we begin to reclaim a sense of security when shopping, attending festivals, or enjoying a night out.”

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