This Week in Immigration Reform — Week Ending September 2nd

This week in immigration: NCLR responds to Donald Trump’s immigration speech; Preparing for Citizenship Day on September 17.

NCLR RESPONDS TO DONALD TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION SPEECH: In recent days, there had been much speculation about whether the details of Donald Trump’s signature issue had changed, muddled by contradictory statements from both the candidate and people in his campaign. In response to this, NCLR President and CEO, Janet Murguía, contributed an op-ed to The Hill, stating, “It is evident that something is happening with the Trump campaign on the issue of immigration. But we, like everyone else, have no idea what that is. Recently, Trump has talked about whether allowances should be made for longtime undocumented residents. By the same token, he did so in a stomach-turning spectacle where he cavalierly put the fate of 11 million people and their families to a “should they stay or should they go” show of hands at a televised town hall.”

After hearing his speech in Arizona this week, it is clear that Donald Trump is sticking to positions that are impractical, expensive and unconstitutional. As Janet stated after the speech, “There was no ‘pivot’ tonight. Instead, Donald Trump doubled down on an immigration platform that continues to be based on falsehoods, distortions and dog whistles culled directly from the most extreme elements of the anti-immigrant movement. In short, Donald Trump threw cold water on those who were expecting a real and workable solution on this issue.” Read NCLR’s full statement here.

NCLR PREPARES TO CELEBRATE CITIZENSHIP DAY ON SEPTEMBER 17^TH: As we begin September, we look forward to working with our partners in the New Americans Campaign and our Affiliates across the country in celebrating Citizenship Day on September 17^th. There are nearly 9 million permanent residents who may be eligible to apply for citizenship because they meet requirements such as passing a background check, completing a period of lawful permanent residence, and demonstrating proficiency in English and knowledge of U.S. civics.

This is a great time to share stories of individuals who have become citizens, many overcoming obstacles that create barriers to applying for citizenship and who now have the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. If you have a story you would like to share and have it featured in NCLR’s social media, please contact Laura Vazquez at [email protected]. For materials on applying for naturalization, please see the NCLR website.