For Immediate Release: June 27, 2018
Contact: Courtney Holsworth, courtney@balestramedia.com, 989.572.8162
Speaker Ryan’s Hardline Immigration Bill Will Increase the Criminalization of Immigrant Communities, says Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Yesterday, the Supreme Court, by a single vote, upheld Trump’s discriminatory Muslim ban and Congress is set to vote today on an extreme immigration package. This bill is in alignment with the immigration principles laid out by Trump and fails to provide a meaningful solution to the family separation crisis created by the White House, condemns parents and their children to family prison camps, and exacerbates the profiling and criminalization of communities of color.
Said Sameera Hafiz, senior policy strategist at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center:
“In addition to the inhumane proposals for those seeking refuge at our borders, the Ryan bill would make life worse for those who live within them. In our neighborhoods, communities of color would continue to be subject to racial profiling, unconstitutional detentions, and indefinite time periods for confinement. Instead of creating pathways for immigrants to become permanent residents and citizens, this bill would limit the avenues by which our neighbors could continue to live, work and learn in the places where they already call home. Young people of color would be targeted for flimsy gang allegations that wreck lives even if they are false and unsubstantiated.
“There is nothing in this legislation that fixes the humanitarian crisis at our borders or within our borders. Voting for this proposal, staying silent on this proposal, and refusing to put forth alternate and meaningful proposals are all choices that are an offense to what we consider our American values, ideals and laws. They must be soundly rejected by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle before the daily tragedies we are witnessing become normalized and even more widespread.
“As the American public has watched the family separation crisis unfold, Trump has tried to sell a solution to the crisis he created. Hardliners in Congress, as reflected in Ryan’s bill, have jumped on board—but make no mistake—the American public does not accept family prison camps as a viable alternative to family separation. Given yesterday’s Supreme Court decision upholding the Muslim ban and Trump’s massive expansion of detention and deportation, any legislation advanced by Congress must emphasize legal norms grounded in due process and fairness. We must reject proposals like the Ryan bill, which ultimately will not end the family separation crisis and will only enhance the Trump administration’s abilities to target and attack immigrant communities. Beyond the inevitable election backlash they will face, any representative in Congress that declines to use their vote or their voice to put a stop to these extreme proposals will be judged harshly by history."
The Immigrant Legal Resource Center has joined the American Civil Liberties Union, Immigrant Defense Project, Detention Watch Network, Immigrant Justice Network, National Immigrant Defense Network, and the National Immigration Project in opposing the Goodlatte and Ryan immigration bills.
For interviews with the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, please contact Courtney Holsworth at courtney@balestramedia.com or 989.572.8162.
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC’s mission is to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities.www.ilrc.org