FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8, 2018

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

Reported New Bipartisan Bill Underscores Momentum, Progress Toward a Solution for Immigrant Youth

WASHINGTON — News media today reported that Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) will soon introduce a new bipartisan bill to provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for Dreamers. The bill will reportedly couple relief for immigrant youth who arrived in the U.S. as minors with some border and other enforcement provisions. It aims to be “as narrow as possible,” Hurd told CNN.

The Trump administration created a crisis in September when officials ended Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, upending the lives of nearly 800,000 young people covered by the program. Every day an estimated 122 DACA recipients lose their eligibility to work and drive in the U.S., and become vulnerable to detention and deportation. More than 15,000 immigrant youth have already lost DACA protections.

The new bipartisan bill would be the latest of several legislative proposals, including the bipartisan Dream Act, under consideration by Congress as a means of enacting a permanent solution for immigrant youth.

Kamal Essaheb, policy and advocacy director at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“We have been clear all along that the Trump-created DACA crisis requires a swift and clean legislative fix. The lives of immigrant youth are not a bargaining chip to further President Trump’s wish list of an anti-immigrant agenda. However, we are encouraged to see continued bipartisan support for immigrant youth and potential progress toward a solution that would finally allow them a sense of security in this country, which is their home. Congress must continue moving in a positive direction. It must past the Dream Act now, without harming communities.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 5, 2018

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

Statement on Trump’s Border Militarization Proposal

WASHINGTON — President Trump today issued new demands to further militarize the U.S.-Mexico border, calling for $18 billion for an additional 700 miles of fencing, thousands of new Border Patrol agents, and increased immigration enforcement in the interior. Although the request for funding was made today, Senator Durbin (D-IL) pointed out that the proposal was, in fact, an old anti-immigrant wish list written by Stephen Miller, the architect of Muslim Ban 1.0 and a known crusader against DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“Is President Trump serious about making a deal to fix the DACA crisis he created? This proposal, written months ago by anti-immigrant zealot Stephen Miller (whom Steve Bannon reportedly described as “my typist”), is more of an effort to foil an immigration deal than to make one. It is more than a waste of money; it is a thinly veiled attack upon the 15 million residents of this thriving part of our country.

“Our nation’s border communities — like all communities — need strong investments in infrastructure, public health, and education, not more extremist, expensive, ineffective, and offensive border wall proposals. If it wasn’t already clear, this proposal should show everyone that Stephen Miller and his cronies aren’t interested in moving our nation forward on enacting sensible policies; they’re simply using every opportunity they get to advance their extremist white nationalist agenda.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 3, 2018

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

NILC Statement on Wednesday Budget Meeting Between White House, Congressional Leadership

WASHINGTON — Following a meeting today between White House officials and congressional leadership to discuss budget negotiations, Kamal Essaheb, policy and advocacy director at the National Immigration Law Center, issued the following statement:

“The Trump administration created a worsening crisis when it abruptly terminated the DACA program, devastating immigrant youth and their families. The administration is now holding hostage a fix for immigrant youth as it continues its pursuit of a Bannonesque, anti-immigrant agenda.

“The truth is that the American people have been clear: They want the Dream Act now. We will not be deterred or distracted by disingenuous statements clearly intended to derail the progress made toward arriving at a solution. And we will hold both parties accountable if they continue to delay.”

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