UnidosUS: Hardline, Enforcement-Heavy Approach to Immigration is Fruitless and Misguided

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Forthcoming White House-Graham proposal is a dead-on-arrival effort

WASHINGTON, DC—UnidosUS (formerly NCLR) issued the following statement in response to reports of a prospective immigration proposal currently in the works by the Trump administration:

“Time and time again, the Trump administration and its allies have failed to address the border issue with effective and thoughtful policies, opting instead to pursue enforcement-only approaches that have worsened—not improved—the humanitarian situation at the border. In doing so, they have further undermined the rights of asylum-seeking families and children—and U.S. citizens alike. This dead-on-arrival proposal further confirms that the administration is no authority when it comes to proposing real solutions to modernize our immigration system or that it’s even serious about doing so.

As it stands, the suite of proposals recently reported on seeks to cut back on our commitment to family unity and family reunification, while ignoring real solutions to address the needs at the border. Moreover, while many of us may agree that we need to modernize out visa system, jeopardizing family-based immigration—and the benefits that flow from it—is not the solution. But the central question remains: why should we believe that the Trump administration has the capacity and desire to resolve these issues when their track record tells us otherwise?”

– Carlos Guevara, Senior Policy Advisor, UnidosUS