UnidosUS Demands Secure, Fair, and Humane Border Policy

WASHINGTON, DC— Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, issued the following response in reaction to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump’s separate visits to the southern border today.

“Once again our attention is drawn to the southern border. Like other Americans, Latino voters want our nation’s leaders to work together to secure the border and manage migration in a fair and humane way. The recent Senate border deal reflected President Biden’s sincere engagement on the issue and his willingness to compromise in the face of demands stemming from record humanitarian migration to our southern border. Unfortunately, as long as the conversation in Congress is held hostage by extremists, we will have only chaos and demagoguery, not solutions to an issue we and all Americans want to see resolved.

“Humane border management should include preventative measures that address what drives migrants to our southern border. President Biden has created legal pathways like allowing migrants to come with a visa instead of smugglers, and non-enforcement measures for effective border operations, such as more judges and asylum officers to improve our asylum system. But this demands that Congress act, and for our political leaders to work in good faith to fix the border crises.

“Instead, we have witnessed extremists using anti-immigrant rhetoric and calling for massive roundups, mass deportation, and other hardline measures and tough talk that seek to divide rather than unite us behind workable solutions. The vitriol is leading to growing anti-immigrant and anti-Latino sentiment that is dangerous and ignores the many contributions that immigrants and Latinos have made to the nation.

“So as the president prepares his State of the Union address, we urge him to speak the truth about the many ways immigrants enrich our communities and consider Latinos’ immigration priorities. For Latino voters, the number one immigration priority by a wide polling margin is relief for long-settled undocumented immigrants. In the face of Republican obstruction in Congress, the president has the authority and legal tools to protect undocumented immigrants in mixed-status families from deportation. We need him to commit to protecting our loved ones from the threats of a broken immigration system.”