This Week in Immigration Reform — Week Ending December 11
Week Ending December 11
This week in immigration reform: NCLR applauds passage of Every Student Succeeds Act; NCLR Affiliate helps DACA recipients purchase homes; and new polling data once again points to strong support for comprehensive immigration reform.
NCLR kept the community informed with staff quotes in the Orlando Sentinel.
Education billl protects English learners: With this week’s passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), states will for the first time be held accountable for the performance of English learners (ELs) in the classroom. States must now include ELs in the statewide accountability system and implement standard entry and exit criteria for the identification of these students. The ESSA also adds new reporting on long-term ELs and ELs with disabilities to show how these additional categories of students are performing. “For the first time, all states will be held accountable for how well EL students are performing in schools. This bill is not perfect, but it deserves support from our community—not only for the important steps forward it is taking on behalf of the nation’s 13 million Hispanic students, but for showing that members of Congress can come together in a bipartisan effort to enact critically needed legislation for the good of our country,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO, NCLR in a press release. NCLR will continue to provide updates on the impact of the education bill as its implementation is rolled out nationwide.
NCLR Affiliate, The Resurrection Project, assists DACA recipients with homeownership: A recent NBC article profiled the story of Yesenia Ariza, a Chicago native who recently purchased a home with the help of work The Resurrection Project. The NCLR affiliate’s work with DACA recipients is just one of the many ways the Chicago-based nonprofit works to provide opportunities for the city’s communities and residents. NCLR Vice President of Housing and Community Development Lautaro Diaz was quoted in the article, highlighting the importance of homeownership as it pertains to one’s wealth: “For many, [purchasing a home] is one of the most important steps they will take. And we’ve seen the impact that it’s had on families, not only on the wealth-building side or the assets that they’re able to accumulate over time but also because of the stability it renders.”
FWD.us, Public Religion Research Institute release polls showing Americans still support comprehensive immigration reform: Two separate polls released this week show, once again, that the majority of Americans favor a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. FWD.us, the pro-immigration organization started by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, released swing-state polling data showing 74 percent of voters prefer a presidential candidate that supports providing immigrants with an earned pathway to citizenship over one who supports mass deportation. Additionally, findings from the Public Religion Research Institute indicate 63 percent believe the immigration system should allow immigrants who are now living in the U.S. illegally a way to become citizens provided they meet certain requirements.
