This Week in Immigration Reform – Week Ending June 13

Week Ending June 13, 2014

This week in immigration reform: After the shocking loss in the district primary of Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), polls find that Rep. Cantor did not lose his primary because of immigration as 72 percent of voters in his district support comprehensive immigration reform; 10 GOP pollsters confirm that Americans want immigration reform done and that doing so will not hurt Republican representatives during their primaries; and in the wake of last week’s release of the new DACA renewal form, NCLR has released a guide to help applicants get information about  the process.

–Voters in Rep Eric Cantor’s District support Immigration Reform. While some commentators were quick to blame Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s surprising defeat in his district primary on immigration reform, exit polling data suggested that the majority of Republican primary voters in the district support immigration reform. Polling found that 72 percent of voters in Cantor’s district support immigration reform. In South Carolina, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a strong supporter of immigration reform, won his primary handily, winning nearly 60 percent of the vote and avoiding a run-off.  A number of people responded that the Majority Leader’s loss in the primary did not mean that immigration reform efforts are dead- including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donahue, Reps. Becerra and Gutierrez. Rep. Terry Lee from Nebraska said that other factors led to the primary result more than immigration did.  As Politico points out, polling conducted by conservatives and progressives shows widespread support for reform among voters in the Rep. Cantor’s district.  Rep. McCarthy is expected to be elected the next Majority Leader and advocates continue to urge him and House Republican leadership to give us a vote on immigration.

—10 GOP Pollsters confirm that Americans support Immigration Reform. A group of conservative pollsters conducted a national survey of 800 registered voters in May of 2014. They found that 71 percent of Americans support comprehensive immigration reform. The poll established that Republican registered voters supported the proposal by even higher margins, with 81 percent support. The poll also confirmed that among voters who opposed amnesty 75 percent would support an immigration proposal similar to the Senate Bill (S-744). The poll also confirmed that supporting comprehensive immigration reform is smart politics for Representatives as 66 percent of Republican voters said they’d most likely vote for a candidate that supported immigration.

–Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Renewal Guide and FAQ. NCLR has released a factsheet with information and resources that applicants can use when navigating the process. Click here for more information about the renewal process and the requirements for first time applicants.

NCLR and affiliates in action.

• California: NCLR affiliate TODEC hosted two phone banks in support of immigration reform this past week in California. Over a hundred calls were generated into the offices of Rep. Issa and Gary Miller.

Volunteers calling into the offices of Reps. Issa and Gary Miller asking for a vote on immigration reform

• Ohio: Former ELC grantee, HOLA, held a rally in front of the Cleveland ICE office to call on the director of the office to implement ICE policy of granting prosecutorial discretion in cases that are not a priority for removal.  HOLA and community leaders rallied around Luis Padilla, a husband and father of 3 U.S. citizen sons who has lived in Ohio for ten years and contributing to his community.

NCLR urges you honor Father’s Day by joining us in the fight for immigration reform.  Every day, approximately 1,100 people are deported and we need a solution.