Category Archives: News Releases

Bills Undermine Rights of Workers, Children, Asylees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2015

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

House Bills Undermine Rights of Workers, Children, Asylees

WASHINGTON — The National Immigration Law Center calls for rejection of a package of bills approved this week by the House Judiciary Committee that underscore conservatives’ “deportation only” strategy at the expense of privacy rights, civil rights, and fair labor standards for workers. The measures also would undermine critical due process protections for asylees and subject children to prolonged detention in facilities that are not age appropriate.

The bills that passed the House Judiciary Committee include:

H.R. 1147, the Legal Workforce Act, which requires all U.S. employers to use the error-prone E-Verify system, at great cost to the federal government, businesses and workers. The bill would put the jobs of hundreds of thousands of authorized U.S. workers at risk while pushing immigrant workers and businesses deeper into the underground economy.

A government-commissioned study found that Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) were four times more likely to receive an erroneous E-Verify determination under the currently voluntary E-Verify system, and that work-authorized immigrant workers were 27 times more likely to receive an erroneous E-Verify determination than U.S.-born workers.

H.R. 1149, the Protection of Children Act is a harsh departure from the U.S. tradition of protecting those who have been subjected to violence, human trafficking, abuse and other crimes. The bill undermines critical due process protections in the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA).

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

“It is the height of hypocrisy that the conservative-led House Judiciary Committee approved the E-Verify bill by asserting they are trying to protect U.S. workers without harming small businesses, when, in fact, the bill would do the opposite. The damage a mandatory E-Verify system would cause for American workers is clear. In this economy, the loss of just one job due to an error-prone government system is one job too many.

“Furthermore, the measures to remove critical human and civil rights for children and asylees are unconscionable. We have investigated detention facilities and found troubling violations, particularly for women and children. The legislation would set back our nation’s humanitarian legacy.”

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Collins Bill in Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 27, 2015

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, [email protected], 213-400-7822

Collins Bill Would Destroy Family Unity

Senators should oppose budget-busting proposal to undo immigration action

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate failed to invoke cloture today on a bill that, if enacted, would defund the immigration actions taken by President Obama last November to protect immigrants with deep ties to the United States from deportation. Although the bill was advertised as a “compromise” to allow the Senate to approve a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security, the bill actually contains many provisions that would harm immigrant families across the country. Although this proposal will not proceed today, the measure could be considered again in the future. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“Rather than simply do their job and keep the government’s doors open, the new Senate leadership has inserted political games into the process. The Collins bill in effect proposes the mass deportation of 11 million aspiring Americans, including immigrant youth and parents of U.S. citizen children who have deep ties to this country. This proposal fails to recognize that a deportation-only strategy isn’t sound policy, it’s just an opportunity to pander to anti-immigrant extremists.

“Those who supported this measure should ask themselves this: Whom would you deport? Would they support prioritizing deportation of hardworking parents, leaving children without their mothers and fathers? Would they support deporting people like Jong Min, a young man who has lived in this country since he was a 1-year-old and will one day soon be able to apply for expanded DACA?

“The Collins bill is just another example of mean-spirited, anti-immigrant politics that has, sadly, become the norm in this legislative session. The GOP had promised to usher in an era of good governance and inclusive politics. They have not lived up to their own professed expectations.”

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DOJ to File Stay in Texas v. U.S. Case

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 20, 2015

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

U.S. Dept. of Justice Takes a Strong Stand for Immigrant Families

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice today announced it would file a stay to lift the injunction that temporarily blocks the implementation of two important immigration initiatives announced by President Obama in November, 2014. This is the latest legal step in Texas et al. v. United States of America, et al., the 26-state challenge to initiatives that, once implemented, will allow millions of immigrants who meet certain requirements to come forward and apply for relief from deportation and temporary work authorization. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, an organization that filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case:

“Today, the Department of Justice took a strong stand to stop unnecessary delays in the implementation of these important immigration initiatives, which were blocked in a decision that was so clearly outside the legal mainstream, we are confident it will be overturned.

“Immigrant families are ready for the opportunity to contribute more fully to the country they call home. Localities and states have lauded the initiatives as sound public policy that will boost their economies. Law enforcement leaders have explained that these initiatives will improve public safety for all communities.

“The Department of Justice is standing on the right side of the law and on the right side of history. We – as immigrants and as Americans – have waited for nearly a quarter century for these much-needed improvements to our broken immigration system. We should not allow a flawed legal decision to delay these changes any longer.”

 

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Texas v. U.S.: Federal District Court’s Decision

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 2015

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, 213-400-7822, [email protected]

NILC: Texas Decision Falls Far Outside Legal Mainstream

BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS — A federal district court today blocked the implementation of the immigration initiatives announced by President Obama last year, which would allow millions of immigrants to come forward and apply for deportation relief and work authorization.

The first phase of initiatives, which affect undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, is scheduled to be implemented beginning February 18. Applications for the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) initiative is scheduled to go into effect in May. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“Today’s decision brought the court far outside the legal mainstream and away from public opinion, which supports the step President Obama took toward finally beginning to fix our dysfunctional immigration system.

“Questions about the legality of President Obama’s actions on immigration have already beenaddressed in other courts, and state claims like the ones upheld today have already been rejected. Today’s decision overlooked sound legal reasoning and precedent, and, if not reversed, threatens to keep millions of aspiring Americans from coming forward to apply for much-needed reprieves from deportation and work authorization.

“Fortunately, this decision represents only a temporary setback. We urge the Department of Justice to act swiftly to ask the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse this court’s decision to block the immigration initiatives. Failure to do so will confuse potentially eligible immigrants and undermine the success of these initiatives.

“Opponents’ declarations of victory today are premature. We are confident that the courts will ultimately side with the scores of legal experts, state leaders, city officials, and law enforcement leaders who say that these immigration initiatives are both in full compliance with law and deeply beneficial to our communities, society, and country. In the meantime, we will only strengthen our resolve to prepare for the moment when immigrant families can come forward and apply for the opportunity to contribute more fully to the country they have made their home.

“This decision will undoubtedly raise concerns for immigrant communities anxiously awaiting the day they can come out of the shadows. They should continue preparing for implementation by gathering documents that serve as proof of their eligibility, saving money for application expenses, and staying informed. It won’t be long before eligible immigrants will be able to live without the fear of deportation while working lawfully and contributing to their families and communities. That will be a good day for our country.”

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Hundreds of Thousands May Lose Health Coverage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 11, 2015

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, [email protected], 213-400-7822

Obama Administration Ready to Boot Hundreds of Thousands from Health Coverage, Again

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced that up to 200,000 individuals would be stripped of their Affordable Care Act health plans on March 1 due to inconsistencies in their citizenship or immigration status information. This news comes months after the National Immigration Law Center and others filed administrative complaints and a Freedom of Information Act request to learn more about how individuals have been notified of inconsistencies, and whether these individuals were unfairly terminated due to language barriers. Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center:

“Hundreds of thousands of people stepped up and paid their premiums in an effort to comply with the individual mandate to have health insurance required by the Affordable Care Act. These people will now be unceremoniously booted from coverage, and there are dozens of unanswered questions as to why.

“It was a Sisyphean effort for the people who will now be losing their coverage on Feb. 28 to obtain it in the first place. These individuals dealt with numerous website glitches and complied with demands for additional documentation, often multiple times, simply to purchase the care they needed. They believe in the promise of the Affordable Care Act: that everyone is healthier if we all get covered. It is both frustrating and deeply saddening that administrative problems are preventing these people from keeping the coverage they worked so hard to obtain.

“Rather than terminate individual coverage, the Obama administration should work to ensure that no one eligible for coverage is dropped from his or her health plan. Furthermore, health care officials should send proper notices in the language that the recipient will actually understand.. Technical glitches and bureaucratic snafus should not result in hundreds of thousands of families losing vital health coverage.”

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Same Anti-Immigrant Politics

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 4, 2015

CONTACT
Adela de la Torre, [email protected], 213-400-7822

New Session, New Leadership, Same Anti-Immigrant Politics

Senate and House hearings recycle “self-deportation” messaging and tactics and little else

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held its first immigration hearing of the 114th legislative session, using the time to denounce President Obama’s recent immigration initiatives designed to fix parts of the broken immigration system.

Across the Capitol, the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration held a hearing to discuss the merits of E-Verify, an electronic employment eligibility verification system, and the Legal Workforce Act, which would force all employers to use E-Verify. This proposal, like others scheduled for House hearings next week, were introduced in previous legislative sessions.

Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center Immigrant Justice Fund.

“Today’s Senate hearing demonstrates that although we have a new legislative session, the Republican leadership’s immigration proposals are tired old repeats of the same anti-immigrant attacks we’ve all heard for several years. Each idea presented today was long on cheap political points and woefully short on substance. Senators in these hearings may have banked great sound bites designed to fire up the anti-immigrant crowd, but they won’t win the Republican Party the diverse set of supporters it will so desperately need for 2016.

“The House of Representatives, similarly, is committed to putting forward ‘solutions’ that would harm our economy and do nothing to fix our dysfunctional immigration system. By proposing the Legal Workforce Act, a measure that the Congressional Budget Office has projected would cost more than $30 billion, the House has shown that its commitment to attacking immigrants extends far beyond its interest in protecting our economic recovery, promoting job growth, or reducing governmental red tape.

“Instead of attacking hardworking immigrant families and small businesses, House and Senate leadership should be working to use President Obama’s first step toward fixing our long-broken immigration system to create a lasting, comprehensive solution. Unfortunately, today’s hearings lead us to believe that this legislative session will hold little promise of policy substance, and a guarantee of creative political theater, for the next two years.”

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Court Blocks Arizona DACA Driver’s License Ban

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2015

CONTACT
Victoria Johnson,773-818-9222, [email protected]
Larry Gonzalez, MALDEF, 202-466-0879, [email protected]
Isabel Alegría, American Civil Liberties Union, 646-438-4146, [email protected]
Steve Kilar, ACLU of Arizona, 602-492-8540, [email protected]

Federal Court Permanently Blocks Discriminatory Arizona Ban on Driver’s Licenses for Immigrant Youth

PHOENIX — Late yesterday, a federal district court judge in Arizona permanently blocked a ban on drivers’ licenses for immigrant youth ordered by Governor Jan Brewer. The ruling is the latest in a series of victories for DREAMers in Arizona Dream Act Coalition v. Brewer, a lawsuit brought by civil rights groups challenging the state’s denial of licenses to immigrants who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) under a federal program.

The National Immigration Law Center (NILC), the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Arizona, and MALDEF challenged the executive order and related policies in court, alleging that the ban violates DACA recipients’ constitutional right to equal protection under the law as well as the principles of federal supremacy in the area of immigration policy and law.

The discriminatory policy was ordered by Governor Brewer in 2012 shortly after the Obama administration announced its DACA program. In July 2014, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the policy was likely unconstitutional and that the group of young people — who have permission from the federal government to live and work in the U.S. — are seriously impaired by their inability to get drivers’ licenses.

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Arizona’s motion to stay the Ninth Circuit decision. On December 22, 2014, Arizona began issuing driver’s licenses to DREAMers for the first time. And, last night, the Arizona district court reached its final resolution on the case, finding the policy violated the DREAMers’ equal protection rights, and entered a permanent injunction of the discriminatory ban.

“Once again, DREAMers have made history in Arizona,” said Korina Iribe, local campaigns field organizer for ADAC. “Despite the continuous challenges that our state government poses against us and our families, the ADAC has continued to empower and organize our communities. Thanks to that, we have defeated Governor Brewer’s discriminatory actions against our right to drive. We are hopeful that our new Governor, Doug Ducey, will not follow Brewer’s steps and refrains from further appeals of this decision. This will show if he is on the side of justice and common sense, or on the side of Brewer’s failed tactics.”

“This is a great victory for young immigrants who courageously challenged this discriminatory ban on their ability to get driver’s licenses. The court’s decision also reaffirms the constitutional principle of equal protection under the law,” said Nicholas Espíritu, NILC staff attorney.

“The court’s order protects the equal rights afforded to all persons in this country,” said Jorge Castillo, MALDEF staff attorney. “It also ensures that our clients will be able to drive to work or school, fulfilling the purpose behind their grant of deferred action.”

“We hope this is the last nail in the coffin for Arizona’s unconstitutional, discriminatory policy against immigrant youth,” said Jennifer Chang Newell, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “DREAMers can now get on with their lives and fully contribute their talents to their communities and the state.”

A copy of today’s decision is available from www.nilc.org/document.html?id=1191.

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House Border Bill Unrealistic

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 21, 2015

CONTACT
Victoria Johnson, [email protected], 773-818-9222

House Panel’s Border Bill Too Unrealistic to Be Taken Seriously

WASHINGTON — The House Homeland Security Committee will consider today a border security bill, H.R. 399, that calls for massive spending and sets goals too unrealistic to be taken seriously, according to the National Immigration Law Center (NILC).

At a time when Congress is being called upon to enact immigration reform with pragmatic solutions, the House proposal would instead damage the economies of border communities, the human and civil rights of Americans, and the ability of any president’s administration to protect and secure our nation.

The following is a statement by NILC Executive Director Marielena Hincapié:

“Let’s be clear. This is not a plan to strengthen border security, but an outrageous attempt to obstruct any meaningful discussion and debate about real, commonsense immigration reform.

“In this proposal, Congress takes over the micromanagement of border security construction and management by mandating $10 billion over the next decade for fencing, road construction, and other construction and technology projects. Government and defense contractors would likely benefit from the proposal.

“Who loses? Americans, including border communities and anyone wanting real immigration reform. The militarization from the border to 100 miles inland strips residents and immigrants of human and civil rights. Border communities would be left out of any planning discussions and see their economies and communities suffer.

“The House bill ignores three critical facts. First, for more than a decade, the U.S. government has spent billions of dollars to secure the border, making this proposed expenditure a wasteful exercise. Second, apprehensions by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are at their lowest levels in 40 years. Third, the existing level of spending and enforcement has led to civil and human rights abuses and needless deaths.

“The new House bill is not good policy, as it will not lead to long-term immigration reform. Instead, it is bad politics. If Congress is really serious about using $10 billion in taxpayer funds, it should invest in economic programs that help all Americans struggling to make ends meet.

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Response to State of the Union Address

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 20, 2015

CONTACT
Victoria Johnson, [email protected], 773-818-9222, or
Gebe Martiniez, [email protected], 703-731-9505

State of the Union Rightly Balances Scales of Social and Economic Justice

WASHINGTON — The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) commends President Barack Obama for presenting a State of the Union Address that rightly balances the scales of social and economic justice.

Among the invited guests in the House Chamber for the president’s speech was NILC Immigration Policy Attorney Kamal Essaheb, a former undocumented youth. Essaheb was the guest of Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-CA.

NILC Executive Director Marielena Hincapié issued the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union Address to Congress:

“Tonight, President Obama addressed realities that exist in our country, and particularly in immigrant communities: the divisions between Americans born in the U.S. and those of us who were not — and between the very wealthy and the very poor.

“At NILC, where we advocate with and on behalf of low-income immigrants and their families, the policy agenda presented to Congress could not be more relevant to the communities we represent and to our entire nation.

“We applaud President Obama for using his well-established executive authority to provide temporary relief from deportation to immigrants who came to the U.S. as children without documents and parents of U.S. citizen children and lawful permanent residents (LPRs). Like all Americans, the immigrant community wants fairness restored to our immigration system so that needless deportations do not continue to separate families with longstanding community and family ties in the U.S.

“Equally important are the president’s proposals to improve access to education and workers’ rights, which will provide everyone the support they need to fulfill their human potential.

“Social justice goes hand in hand with economic and racial justice, and the president offered several proposals to balance the scales between the haves and have-nots. The American Dream of economic opportunity is enhanced by equal access to education, and the president’s proposal to make community college free for responsible students is just one example of a program that would meet our nation’s goals for equality and to reestablish the American middle class.”

“Access to affordable health care, family medical leave, and workers’ rights have yet to be realized by millions of immigrants who live just outside the boundaries of eligibility, and  President Obama should continue pressing forward with an agenda that seeks to  correct decades of injustice.

“Our growing economy makes this agenda realistic, and these programs will, in turn, strengthen our economy even more. It is now up to Congress to prove it can govern by seriously considering the president’s words. We urge Congress to leave aside partisan politics and attacks on immigrants and Americans struggling to make ends meet, and to engage in a meaningful legislative agenda that brings liberty and justice to all.”

Established in 1979, the National Immigration Law Center is the only advocacy organization in the United States exclusively dedicated to defending and advancing the rights and opportunities of low-income immigrants and their families. NILC advances its mission through policy analysis and litigation, along with education and advocacy. Over the past three decades, NILC has won landmark legal decisions protecting fundamental rights, thwarted policies that would have devastated the lives of low-income immigrants and their family members, and advanced major policies that reinforce our nation’s values of equality, opportunity, and justice for all.

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