NCLR Condemns House Judiciary Proposals That Would Harm Millions of American Families

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has begun a two-day markup of four immigration-related bills designed to attack immigrant and Latino families and deny due process to child refugees. Legislation under consideration would nationalize the widely discredited Arizona SB 1070 racial profiling law, escalate a wasteful and destructive enforcement-only approach to immigration, remove protections for children fleeing violence and block the president’s 2012 and 2014 immigration actions. NCLR (National Council of La Raza) stands in firm opposition to these bills, which do not bring this nation any closer to the comprehensive solution that we need.

“These bills are a conscious, premeditated attack against millions of American families and a direct blow at the heart of the Latino community. They are representative of the backward thinking that has replaced a solution-driven approach to immigration in Washington, and they show a disregard for the civil rights of all Americans,” said Clarissa Martínez-De-Castro, Deputy Vice President of the Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation at NCLR. “These bills seek to divide our country, spread fear in our communities and divert us from the sensible solutions that the vast majority of Americans support. By pursuing this legislation, House Republican leadership is sending a clear message that they intend to double down on extremist policies rather than govern responsibly. Latinos see these bills for what they are: not viable solutions, but blatant attempts to vilify our community and tear our families apart. And we will not forget.”

NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.