An Open Letter to the House of Representatives, Senate and White House from Latino Leaders
The undersigned Conveners of the National Latino Congreso call upon the House, Senate, the White House to enact responsible immigration reform and reject assaults on family reunification and other measures that would relegate Latino and other immigrant workers to a future of exploitation and isolation.
The recent White House-Senate negotiations , are taking the American people in the wrong direction. Latinos are the future of the nation and immigrants will shape the lives of every family, business and community in the 21 st century. We, as Latino leaders, cannot stand by passively as the White House proposes legislation that would mortgage the future of our country.
The undersigned Conveners of the Latino Congreso support the following:
- family unification preferences for immigrants remaining intact and rejection of all point systems;
- immigrants who have contributed to our society should be able to remain and obtain an unfettered and effective pathway to citizenship;
- reinstatement of the jurisdiction of the federal courts in immigration appeals processes;
- maximum protection of labor rights and working conditions of U.S. and immigrant workers;
- a significant increase in permanent visas to applicants from countries with a history of large-scale migration to the U.S.;
- humane enforcement reforms that do not penalize border communities and,
- measures to stimulate and develop the economies of immigrant-sending countries.
Enacting the right reforms is the only way out of the current national environment of hostility, racism and growing hate-crimes against Latinos and immigrants in the United States. We call on federal legislators to quickly change course and embrace a much more inclusive, just and pragmatic immigration reform construct.
Signed,
Hispanic Federation (HF)
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA)
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
Nat'l Alliance of Latin American & Caribbean Communities (NALACC)
William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI)
About the William C. Velasquez Institute
Chartered in 1985, The William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI) is a non-profit, non-partisan Latino-oriented research and policy think tank with ottices in San Antonio , Texas and Los Angeles , California . For more information regarding WCVI, please visit our website at www.wcvi.org
