This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending January 17
Week Ending January 17, 2014
This week in immigration reform: in line with what other House Republicans have been saying, Rep. Doug LaMalfa calls on Congress to get something done on immigration reform; NCLR fights a proposal in the Senate that sought to deny the Child Tax Credit to families of four million U.S. citizen children; the Congress passes an Appropriations bill that funds both good and bad immigration programs; and NCLR meets with a House working group to discuss the year ahead for immigration reform. Emerging Latino Communities (ELC) grantee HOLA (Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula) kept the spotlight on the need for reform by gathering the community for a 20-mile pilgrimage from Lake County to Cleveland in support of staying the deportation of a married father of three children. NCLR kept the community informed as always this, with staff quoted in CNN Mexico, Terra, and VOXXI.
—California Republican comes out in support of immigration reform. Last week, Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) made what he described as a “pivot” by coming out in support of immigration reform. The conservative Congressman said he changed his mind after talking to farmers who told him that their businesses couldn’t survive without immigrant labor. Echoing other House Republicans, Rep. LaMalfa said that something needs to get done, and done soon, on immigration reform.
—NCLR fights to protect Child Tax Credit for immigrant families as jobless benefits debate continues. This week NCLR fought to preserve access to the Child Tax Credit (CTC) for all qualified families by strongly voicing its opposition to an amendment to the Senate jobless benefits bill that sought to eliminate the CTC for tax filers who use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). This proposal, offered by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H), would have adversely affected over 4 million U.S. citizen children.
Ultimately the amendment was not brought to a vote. NCLR will continue to educate lawmakers on the importance of the CTC for eligible filers and oppose any changes that would hurt Latino families.
—Congress passes Appropriations bill; good and bad news for immigration. Congress passed an Appropriations bill this week funding the government through the end of Fiscal Year 2014 (9/30/14). The bill features a mixed bag of spending on immigration, with some positive initiatives to promote naturalization receiving funding alongside excessive spending on unnecessary enforcement measures. For example, the bill mandates that detention centers maintain 34,000 beds at all times, essentially establishing a quota.
—NCLR joins House women’s group to talk immigration reform. NCLR met on Wednesday Jan. 15, with the Congressional Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform, a group of Congressman with whom NCLR has been collaborating for several months now in the effort to pass immigration reform. The working group discussed the ways that immigration policy should reflect the needs of immigrant women and the critical role that immigrant women play in our society.
From left to right: Clarissa Martinez-De-Castro of NCLR, , Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.), Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-Calif.) and Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) meet as part of the Congressional Women’s Working Group on Immigration Reform to discuss the fight for reform.
NCLR and Affiliates in action.
Ohio: Emerging Latino Communities (ELC) partner HOLA (Hispanas Organizadas de Lake y Ashtabula) partnered with the Polish community of Cleveland and other allies to organize a 20-mile pilgrimage from Lake County to Cleveland in support of halting the deportation of Ricardo Ramos, a married father of three U.S. citizen children who was put into deportation proceedings after being found driving without a license. Ramos has lived and worked in Lake County for 16 years and has ties to the Polish Catholic church St. Casimir’s, the pilgrimage’s end point in Cleveland. 
Ohioans marching to Cleveland to stop the deportation of Ricardo Ramos (photo: @DavidLeopold).
