WASHINGTON, D.C. – MALDEF President and General Counsel Thomas A. Saenz released the following statement in response to today’s hearing in the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, which questioned the role of “birthright citizenship,” a longstanding emblem of equality and inclusion:
Public Policy Immigrants’ Rights
CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMEMBER DAVID CHIU INTRODUCES BILL EXTENDING PROTECTIONS AGAINST IMMIGRATION-RELATED EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION
SACRAMENTO, CA – As MALDEF continues to challenge discriminatory practices across the country against individuals seeking employment under the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program (DAPA) and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), California Assemblymember David Chiu last week introduced AB 1065, a bill extending state-law employment protections against immigration-related discrimination, a bill that MALDEF sponsors.
LGBT AND CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS: DON’T EXCLUDE LGBT IMMIGRANTS FROM AFFIRMATIVE RELIEF
WASHINGTON, D.C. – LGBT and civil rights organizations strongly urge President Obama not to exclude long-resident LGBT individuals from the forthcoming program of administrative relief to protect from deportation some of the nation’s population. Last week, media outlets reported that a program was under consideration of relief for upwards of five million undocumented individuals—but only for those with children who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. This approach would disproportionately exclude the 267,000 undocumented LGBT individuals who have significantly lower rates of parenthood and higher rates of victimization in our nation’s immigration enforcement system.
NATIONAL LATINO LEADERS CALL ON PRESIDENT TO FULFILL PROMISE WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY TO HALT DEPORTATIONS FOR MILLIONS
WASHINGTON, DC – MALDEF and The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, calls on President Barack Obama not to delay in fulfilling his promise to grant affirmative relief from deportation to as broad a range of undocumented immigrants as possible. The president, who previously committed to take action before the end of the summer, then said he would delay such action until after Tuesday’s mid-term elections. This delay has already resulted in an estimated 70,000 additional unnecessary deportations.
MALDEF, CIVIL RIGHTS GROUPS URGE PRESIDENT TO ENSURE AFFIRMATIVE RELIEF FOR UNDOCUMENTED LGBTQ IMMIGRANTS
WASHINGTON, D.C. – MALDEF and twelve other LGBTQ, Latino, and Asian American advocacy and civil rights organizations yesterday sent a letter to President Obama, urging him to ensure that any affirmative relief for undocumented immigrants does not unfairly exclude members of the LGBTQ community. The letter comes in response to ongoing discussion surrounding the President’s announcement that his Administration is exploring avenues to provide affirmative relief to many of the undocumented in light of congressional inaction.
MALDEF CO-RELEASES REPORT HIGHLIGHTING UNPRECEDENTED DEPORTATION NUMBERS
LOS ANGELES, CA – MALDEF, together with the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), today released a report that assesses the unprecedented deportation rate of the last six-years, the devastating impact these deportations have had on vulnerable Latino families, and seeks to outline actions toward a more fair and just immigration policy in the United States.
MALDEF RESPONDS TO PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SPEECH ON IMMIGRATION
MALDEF APPLAUDS CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR BROWN’S SIGNING OF THE TRUST ACT
MALDEF JOINS IN CALLING ON PRESIDENT TO SUSPEND DEPORTATIONS AS CONGRESS DEBATES IMMIGRATION REFORM
MALDEF President and General Counsel, Thomas A. Saenz, joined representatives from other immigrant rights groups in a telebriefing for the press earlier this week to urge President Obama to immediately suspend deportations of those potentially eligible for legalization while Congress deliberates on immigration reform. More than 410,000 were deported last year, the most ever. These deportations break apart thousands of families, and in many cases, the family members allowed to stay suffer severe financial strain as a result of losing an economic contributor to the household. Deportations also disrupt communities and workplaces when someone with strong connections to the community is seized and removed.