As millions of U.S. households struggle to find affordable housing, a newly-proposed HUD regulation would evict more than 100,000 people from public housing.  The proposed regulation targets immigrants and would evict families in which even one family member is ineligible for housing assistance.

Currently, these mixed-status families can live together in subsidized housing. Their housing subsidy is decreased so that the ineligible person does not receive assistance. “Ineligible” does not mean “undocumented.” Immigrants can have legal status and still not be eligible for public housing and Section 8 programs.  The new regulation, however, would bar all members of mixed-status families from public housing and Section 8 programs.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:  Go to www.Keep-Families-Together.org and submit your comment now! Or submit your own comments directly on regulations.gov.

Many Minnesota children and elders in mixed-status families rely on subsidized housing because of the extremely high costs and low availability of affordable housing. In our daily work at the Immigration Law Center of Minnesota, we see the struggles of immigrant families to find affordable housing, especially in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The rental vacancy rate in the Twin Cities metro area is consistently below 5 percent. The housing vacancy rate in St. Paul was 3.3 percent in 2017, and Minneapolis was close to that number with a 3.5 percent vacancy rate.

Affordability is an even bigger problem, in the metro area and throughout the state. The average monthly rental in the seven-county metropolitan area exceeds $1,000 and rises every year. In the city of Minneapolis, the average rent rose to $1,279 in 2017, up 17 percent from 2010. In 2017, the average waitlist time for subsidized housing in Minnesota was 22 months.

This proposed rule does not address the undeniable crisis of affordable housing. Instead, it is part of the Trump administration’s war on immigrants. Blaming immigrants will not solve the nation’s affordable housing problem.

HUD’s own data shows that the proposed rule will evict 108,000 people, with three-quarters of these people being family members who are themselves eligible for subsidized housing. Some 55,000 of the people who would be thrown out of their homes by this rule are children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. The rule would force mixed status families to either break up to allow eligible family members to continue receiving assistance or forgo housing assistance so that the families can stay together.

In Minnesota, almost 140,000 people live in mixed-status families with at least one unauthorized family member. That includes more than 60,000 children living with at least one unauthorized family member. Nationally, about six million U.S. citizen children live in mixed-status families with at least one unauthorized family member.

While it is clear that the proposed rule is a direct attack on immigrants and citizens in mixed-status households, these families are not the only group that will be harmed if the rule is finalized. In addition to attacking mixed status families, the proposed rule creates red tape that threatens housing security for 9.5 million U.S. citizens currently receiving HUD assistance and all future U.S. citizens seeking these benefits.

Currently, to establish eligibility for housing assistance, U.S. citizens need to provide a declaration signed under penalty of perjury of their citizenship or nationality status. The proposed rule would require that these individuals also provide documentary proof, such as a birth certificate, which can be extremely difficult to obtain for certain segments of the population. One survey from 2006 showed that as many as seven percent of citizens did not have citizen documentation readily available. Obtaining such documentation can be particularly difficult for U.S. citizens over the age of 50, citizens of color, citizens with disabilities, and citizens with low incomes.

In addition to the difficulties faced by individuals, this requirement will create an additional layer of bureaucratic requirements, and divert funding that could otherwise be used simply for providing housing.

Even immigrant and mixed-status families in which every member is entitled to the benefits of subsidized housing or public housing would be affected by this rule. Many would leave public housing or fail to claim benefits because of fear that they would be penalized for using housing assistance. This has already happened in the area of public benefits, where a different proposed regulation would penalize some immigrants for using some programs. The Urban Institute found that one in seven adults in immigrant families reported avoiding public benefit programs in 2018—despite the fact that the proposed public benefits regulation has not yet taken effect and might not apply to them even if it is promulgated.

Immigrants are a critical factor in keeping the U.S. economy healthy and growing. Currently, more than 27 million foreign-born workers in the U.S. labor market comprise about 17% of the total U.S. workforce. Immigrants are more concentrated in labor markets that literally feed and house America—immigrants make up 28% of construction trade workers and upwards of 70% of agricultural workers.

Immigrants are an essential part of our health care system, comprising nearly one in five of all health care workers and nearly one in four health care workers in the long-term care sector. Nearly one worker in three at home health agencies is an immigrant, many earning very low incomes while providing essential care. As the elderly population in the United States continues to grow, we will need more health care workers to provide needed care. In all sectors, immigrant workers replace retiring baby boomers and continue to support the Social Security system and Minnesota tax revenues.

The new HUD rule was proposed on May 10, and a 60-day public comment period will end on July 9.

What you can do—make your voice heard!

• The National Housing Law Project (NHLP) and National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) are leading the effort to oppose this harmful and cruel proposal and have developed advocacy tools for you to use to join us in opposition. Together, NHLP and NLIHC launched a new website for individuals to submit their comments. Go to www.Keep-Families-Together.org and submit your comment now!
• To learn more, check out their fact sheets, talking points, and social media toolkits.
• You can also submit your own comments directly on regulations.gov.

 

Press Release, June 4, 2019—Legislation offering safety and a path to citizenship to 2.7 million immigrants passed the House on Tuesday. Nearly 20,000 Minnesotans would gain protection and a path to citizenship if this bill becomes law.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed HF6, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, with every Democrat and seven Republicans constituting a 237-187 majority. The legislation would provide a safe path to citizenship for Dreamers—migrants who were brought here as children and grew up in the United States—as well as for migrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Liberian migrants now temporarily protected by Deferred Enforced Departure (DED).

The legislation now goes to the Senate, where Republicans plan to block it from consideration, despite overwhelming popular support for the legislation. Polls show as many as 80 percent of people in the United States support a path to citizenship for Dreamers.

“House passage of the American Dream and Promise Act is an important step forward for 2.7 million immigrants whose work and courage and imagination already contribute massively to the good of the entire country,” said Lenore Millibergity, interim executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota. “We all benefit from their presence here. Now it is time the Senate to heed the voices of the U.S. people and pass this important legislation.”

June 3, 2019: Immigrant eligibility for public benefits is already limited. Trump’s May 23 memo, not yet law, may impose more future restrictions.

HUD’s proposed new rule would bar ineligible immigrants from living in subsidized housing with their families.

Friday, May 24th, 2019

SAINT PAUL — Following the news that the Driver’s Licenses For All bill will not be passed during the 2019 legislative session, the Freedom 2 Drive coalition released the following statement.

“We are disappointed and pained at the failure of the legislature to pass Driver’s Licenses For All bill in the 2019 session.

“We are proud of the Asia American Pacific Islanders, Black and Latino immigrants across Minnesota who shaped and informed the Freedom to Drive campaign. We are inspired by the courage of vulnerable community members who told their stories over and over again to appeal to legislators.

“We are encouraged by the strong support shown by business, law enforcement, faith leaders, civic groups, and people across Minnesota. We know that the majority of Minnesotans support restoring access to driver’s licenses for all. We will continue to work toward restoring access to driver’s licenses for all because this is legislation that ALL Minnesota needs.

“We are disappointed in the Senate Republicans’ racist and obstructionist platform that is only interested in dividing us to distract from their unpopular policies than it is in helping Minnesotan families.

“We appreciate the support from Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor, Peggy Flannagan as well as the leadership of Representatives Ryan Winkler and Aisha Gomez and their staff who authored and helped the driver’s license bill pass the House floor for the first time ever.

“Access to driver’s licenses is important for public safety, economic growth, and the dignity of our community members. Every day, Minnesota residents who are undocumented go to work, care for family members, attend school, advocate for positive changes, and connect with other residents in the farmlands, small towns, and cities of Minnesota. Their contributions help Minnesota maintain strong, vibrant communities that ensure that the state is an attractive place to live and raise a family. We need them and all that they contribute to our  Minnesota community. They need driver’s licenses.

“Once again vulnerable members of our community are being excluded from having access to driver’s licenses.  This session’s failure is painful and unfair, but we will not give up.

“We remind ourselves that while the federal government is turning its back on working class immigrants—those who work the night shifts, behind shop counters, and in kitchens, factories and mines, nannies, health care workers, students, service, hospitality, farm and dairy workers—they are a part of making this country better for everyone.

“We will rest and take care of ourselves, and we will be back. We will continue to organize, today, tomorrow and  in every election and legislative session to protect our families and friends.”

 

 

(For a printable PDF version of this Fact Sheet, click here.)

No Human is Illegal

• Most people without documents in the United States entered the country legally. Some have overstayed their visas. Some are waiting for visas or extensions to be processed. That does not mean that they are “illegal.”
• If you have ever run through a stop sign or driven above the speed limit, you have committed an illegal act. This does not mean that you are an “illegal driver.”
• Using the word “illegal” to describe undocumented immigrants is dehumanizing, inflammatory, and inaccurate.

Living in the United States without documentation is a civil offense, not a criminal one. 

• Living in the U.S. without legal authorization (unlawful presence) is a civil offense, while improper entry (crossing the border without inspection), is a misdemeanor.
• Most immigrants who do not have proper documentation arrived in the United States legally, and therefore have not committed a crime.

AP Stylebook: Describe actions, not people. 

• In April,2013, The Associated Press changed its stylebook to take away the use of “illegal” when writing about individuals:

“illegal immigration Entering or residing in a country in violation of civil or criminal law. Except in direct quotes essential to the story, use illegal only to refer to an action, not a person: illegal immigration, but not illegal immigrant. Acceptable variations include living in or entering a country illegally or without legal permission.”

• Labels “[end] up pigeonholing people or creating long descriptive titles where you use some main event in someone’s life to become the modifier before their name,” said AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor, Kathleen Carroll.

#WordsMatter 

• Phrases such as “illegal immigrant” and “illegal alien” replace ever-changing legal circumstances and unique situations and stories with an unspecified assumption of guilt.
• These dehumanizing terms and phrases oversimplify the complex situations of individual people.
• Do not repeat inflammatory language used by the government or news sources. The more a word or phrase is repeated, the more power it holds and the more popular it becomes.

One day before the House Judiciary Committee markup of legislation containing protections for immigrant youth known as Dreamers and long-time beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), ILCM joined with 400 national, regional, and local groups in sending a letter urging Congress to pass the legislation. Here is our letter:

May 21, 2019

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Leader McCarthy, Chairman Nadler, and Ranking Member Collins,

We, the undersigned national, state, and local education, civil and human rights, LGBTQ+, labor, national security, faith, grassroots, and immigrants’ rights organizations, write to express our support for the American Dream and Promise Act as it goes before the House Judiciary Committee for markup. The legislation would put immigrant youth known as Dreamers and long-time beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) on a roadmap to citizenship.

Over the past two years, the Trump administration has taken steps to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and strip status from nearly every individual with TPS and all of those with DED. Only a small number of preliminary injunctions prevent these individuals from facing the prospect of detention and deportation. The administration’s actions are inflicting enormous pain and uncertainty on more than a million people—not to mention their families and their communities who face an impending separation crisis.

These individuals live in every state and every congressional district. They are our classmates and our teachers, our coworkers and our employers. They worship with us and help to keep us safe. They contribute to our great nation in myriad ways. The average DACA recipient came to the country at age six, while the average TPS holder has been in the country for 22 years. Between them, they have nearly 500,000 U.S. citizen children, not to mention many hundreds of thousands more U.S. citizen parents, spouses, and siblings, all of whom are suffering already and will suffer still more if the Trump administration is successful in ending their protections.

Dreamers and beneficiaries of TPS and DED also are vital to the economic health of our nation: They work in a range of critical industries, from construction—particularly in states such as Texas, California, Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina that are still recovering from natural disasters—to child care, to health care, to education, and more. Many work for Fortune 500 companies or have started their own businesses, creating jobs and economic opportunities for their fellow Americans. They pay billions of dollars in federal, state, and local taxes each year.

And while court rulings have allowed current DACA beneficiaries, and TPS holders from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan, the opportunity to maintain protections for now, the Trump administration is fighting back aggressively. These court injunctions also offer no relief to Dreamers who were eligible for DACA, or would have aged into DACA, but were locked out of the program when the Trump administration ended it, or to TPS holders from countries not now covered by the preliminary court orders. Moreover, just 3 days before Liberians with DED who have lived and worked in the United States lawfully since at least 2002—and many for far longer—were going to lose their status and find themselves vulnerable to being ripped from their families and communities, detained and deported, the Trump administration announced a one-year reprieve.

There are many parts of the immigration system that urgently need fixing, but protecting Dreamers and beneficiaries of TPS and DED cannot wait. It is long past time to recognize that these individuals are part of the American family and merit protection from deportation, permanent status, and a path to eventual citizenship. They and their families and communities at long last deserve the peace of mind to be able to plan ahead and make a better life that others take for granted. We stand ready to work with you to quickly pass this common-sense legislation.

Sincerely,

National Groups

Advocates for Youth
African American Ministers In Action
African Communities Together
AIDS United
Alianza Americas
America’s Voice
American Civil Liberties Union
American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
American Federation of Teachers
American Friends Service Committee
American GI Forum of the US
American Immigration Lawyers Association
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
Anti-Defamation League
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF)
Asian Americans Advancing Justice
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence
ASISTA
ASPIRA Association
Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents
AsylumConnect
Athlete Ally
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Bread for the World
California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA)
Casa de Esperanza: National Latina Network for Healthy Families and Communities
Center for American Progress
Center for Popular Democracy
Center for Victims of Torture
CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc.
Christian Community Development Association
Church World Service
Citizens for Criminal JUSTICE
Clearinghouse on Women’s Issues
Coalition on Human Needs
Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach
Columbia Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic Communications Workers of America
Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, US Provinces
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
Council for Global Equality
Council of Administrators of Special Education
Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
Daily Kos
Defending Rights & Dissent
Democrats for Education Reform
Diaspora in Action
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF)
Disciples Refugee & Immigration Ministries
Earthjustice
EDGE Consulting
Educators for Excellence
Episcopal Diocese of S.E Florida
Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM)
Faith in Public Life
Families Belong Together
Family Action Network Movement (FANM)
Farmworker Justice
Federation des Associations Regionales Haitiennes de la Diaspora (FAREHD)
Federation of Liberia Mandingo Associations in the USA
Feminist Majority Foundation
First Focus
Fondasyon Mapou
FORGE, Inc.
Franciscan Action Network
Freedom for Immigrants
Freedom Forward
Freedom Network USA
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Gender Spectrum
Generation Progress
GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality
GLSEN
Grand Kru County Development Association in the Americas
GreenLatinos
HIAS
Hip Hop Caucus
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
Hispanic Federation
Hispanic National Bar Association
Hispanics in Philanthropy
HOPE Border Institute
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights Watch
Immigration Hub
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Indivisible
Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti
Interfaith Worker Justice
International Association for College Admission Counseling
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
InterReligious Task Force on Central America and Colombia
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jobs With Justice
Kids in Need of Defense
KIPP
Labor Council For Latin American Advancement
Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
League of Women Voters of the United States
Main Street Alliance
MALDEF
MANA, A National Latina Organization
Mennonite Central Committee U.S. Washington Office
Mi Familia Vota
MomsRising
Movement Advancement Project
MoveOn
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Action Network
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF)
National Association for College Admission Counseling
National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Lesbian Rights
National Center for Transgender Equality Coalition Against Domestic Violence
National Council of Churches
National Council of Jewish Women
National Domestic Violence Hotline
National Domestic Workers Alliance
National Education Association
National Employment Law Project
National Employment Lawyers Association
National Equality Action Team (NEAT)
National Health Law Program
National Hispanic Medical Association
National Human Services Assembly
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH)
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
National Latinx Psychological Association
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for New Americans
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA)
National Religious Campaign Against Torture
National Skills Coalition
National Survivor Network
National Women’s Law Center
NETWORK Lobby
NextGen America
NHCSL – The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
OutServe-SLDN
Oxfam America
People’s Action Institute
Physicians for Reproductive Health
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Population Connection Action Fund
Positive Women’s Network USA
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
Pride at Work
Public Citizen
School Social Work Association of America
SchoolHouse Connection
Service Employees International Union
Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS)
Sierra Club
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Institute Justice Team
Sisters of Mercy South Central Community
Sojourners
South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)
Southern Border Communities Coalition
SparkAction
Stand for Children
Sull and Associates, PLLC
T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
TASH
Teach Plus
The Education Trust
The Pluralism Project
The Revolutionary Love Project
The United Methodist Church – General Board of Church and Society
Truman National Security Project
UFW Foundation
Ujima, Inc.: The National Center on Violence Against Women in the Black Community
ULAA
UndocuBlack Network
UnidosUS
Union for Reform Judaism
Unión=Fuerza Latinx Institute
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
UNITE HERE
United Farm Workers (UFW)
United Nimba Citizens’ Council (UNICCO)
United States Hispanic Leadership Institute
United We Dream
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Voices for Progress
Voto Latino
Washington DC Area Liberia Mandingo Association
Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA)
We Are All America
Win Without War
Witness to Mass Incarceration
Women for Afghan Women
Working Families United
Year Up
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
Young Invincibles
YWCA USA

State and Local Groups

350Seattle
Academy of Medical & Public Health Services
Adhikaar
Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, Inc.
AFSC Colorado
Al Otro Lado
All Saints Church
Alliance for a Better Community
Apostle Immigrant Services, Corporation
Arab American Association of New York
Arizona Center for Empowerment (ACE)
Arizona Dream Act Coalition
Arkansas United
Arsht Cannon Fund
Asian Counseling & Referral Service
Association of Haitian Women (AFAB)
Breakthrough Schools
Cabrini Immigrant Services of NYC, Inc.
CAIR Florida
CARECEN DC
CASA
Casa Latina
Catholic Charities Tompkins/Tioga
Catholic Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami
Causa Oregon
Center for the Human Rights of Children, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Central Indiana Jobs With Justice
Children’s Defense Fund-New York
Chinese-American Planning Council
Clergy and laity United for Economic Justice
Cleveland Jobs with Justice
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Coalition of Refugee Service Agencies
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition
Columbia Legal Services
CONNECT Safe Families Peaceful Communities
Connecticut Students for a Dream
Conversations with Friends
Culinary Union
DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence
DMV Sanctuary Congregation Network
Dolores Street Community Services
DoTheMostGood Montgomery County, MD
Dreamer Fund
DRUM: Desis Rising Up and Moving
East Texas Justice For Our Neighbors
El Concilio/Hispanic American Council
El Rescate
Emerald Isle Immigration Center Employee Rights Center
End Domestic Abuse WI
Enlace Comunitario
Entre Hermanos
Equality California
Equality North Carolina
Family Rights Network
FL Immigrant Coalition
Florida Coastal School of law Clinical Programs
Friends of Broward Detainees
Friends of Miami-Dade Detainees
Fuerza del Valle
Gainesville Interfaith Alliance for Immigrant Justice
Georgia AFL-CIO
Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials (GALEO)
Georgia Equality
Georgia NAACP
H.O.P.E. Ministries of Georgia, Inc.
Haitian American Democratic Club of Broward County
HAITIAN ARTISTS ASSEMBLY OF MASSACHUSETTS
Haitian Bridge Alliance
Haitian Centers Council, Inc.
Haitian-Americans United, Inc. (H.A.U.)
Hispanic Federation Connecticut State Office
Hispanics In Politics
II Los Angeles
Illinois Accountability Initiative
Illinois Association for College Admission Counseling
Immigrant Allies of Marshalltown
Immigrant Family Services Institute
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
Indivisible Eastside-WA
Indivisible Vashon
Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Collective
Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center
International Institute of Buffalo
Jefferson County Immigrant Rights Advocates
Jews United for Justice
Kansas People’s Action
Kentucky Association for College Admission Counseling
La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE)
Legal Aid Justice Center
Living United for Change in Arizona (LUCHA)
Lorain Ohio Immigrant Rights Association
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Loyola University Chicago Civitas Child Law Center
Maine Community Integration
Maine Equal Justice
Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition
Maine People’s Alliance
Maine Women’s Lobby
Make the Road New Jersey
Make the Road NY
Make the Road PA
MAPS-AMEN (American Muslim Empowerment Network)
Massachusetts Communities Action Network
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)
Migrant Center for Human Rights
MinKwon Center for Community Action
Minnesota Association of College Admissions Counselors MACAC
Missouri Association for College Admissions Counseling
Muslim Youth Collective – Indianapolis
Muslim-Jewish Solidarity Committee
National Lawyers Guild – Los Angeles Chapter
Nebraska Appleseed
Nevada Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents
New England Association of College Admissions Counselors
New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice
New Mexico Immigrant Law Center
New York City Anti-Violence Project
New York Immigration Coalition
New York State Association of College Admission Counseling
NM CAFe
NM Dream Team
North County Immigration Task Force
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Ohio Association of College Admissions Counseling
Ohio Immigrant Alliance
OneAmerica
OneJustice
Pacific Northwest Association of College Admission Counseling
Partnership for Southern Equity
Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling
Pilipino Workers Center
Pilipino Workers Center of SC
Progress Florida
Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada
Proyecto Juan Diego
Public Counsel
Puget Sound Advocates for Retirement Action (PSARA)
Reformed Church of Highland Park
Rocky Mountain Association for College Admissions Counseling
Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center
SC Appleseed Legal Justice Center
SEIU 2015
SEIU 32BJ
SEIU Healthcare Minnesota
SEIU Local 1
SEIU Local 99 Education Workers United
SEIU United Service Workers West
Service Employees International Union-Texas
Silver State Equality
Sisters of St. Francis, St. Francis Province
Sisters of Mercy West Midwest Community
Skagit Immigrant Rights Council
SLV Immigrant Resource Center
SOMOS Mayfair
St Joseph Valley Project Jobs with Justice
Sudanese American Community NY
SURJ Montgomery County
Takoma Park Mobilization
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition
Texas Association for College Admissions Counseling
The Campaign for College Opportunity
The Resurrection Project
Transformations CDC
Tuesdays With Toomey Pittsburgh
Tuesdays with Toomey- Allentown, PA
UAW Local 4121
Unite Oregon
University of Tulsa Legal Clinic
UnLocal, Inc.
Vashon – Maury SURJ ~ Showing Up for Racial Justice
VIDA Legal Assistance, Inc.
Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO)
Virginia NOW
Virginia Organizing
Wallingford Indivisible
Western Association for College Admission Counseling
Whitman-Walker Health
Wind of the Spirit
Wisconsin Mandingo Association of Milwaukee (WIMAM)
Worker Justice Center of New York

May 16, 2019—Despite the president’s May 16 Rose Garden speech on immigration, no new administration proposal has yet been introduced in Congress. The president’s speech, and the other rhetoric surrounding the Kushner/Miller/Trump “plan,” continue the same anti-immigrant and anti-refugee posture that underlies all of this administration’s immigration policies.

“Nothing in the speech offers any protection or path forward for Dreamers,” said Lenore Millibergity, Interim Executive Director of the Immigrant Law Center. “Nothing offers a way forward for people who have lived in the United States with Temporary Protected Status for years or for Liberian families living here under Deferred Enforced Departure permits. Nothing offers hope for the millions of undocumented families who work, pay taxes, own homes, care for their U.S. citizen children, and live in fear of this administration’s deport-everybody policies.

“In contrast, the American Dream and Promise Act, introduced in the House with 208 sponsors, is a move forward. The Dream and Promise Act offers protection and a path to legal residence to Dreamers and people with Temporary Protected Status. That’s not a full solution, but it’s a step forward that any thoughtful person can and should support.”

What President Trump actually said in his speech is a mish-mash of outright lies, half truths, and recycled rhetoric. For example, he characterized family reunification visas as “random chance” and said “it doesn’t really matter who that relative is.” In fact, family reunification is limited to spouses, children, parents, and siblings. No one else. Millions of these close family members have been on visa waiting lists for years, and would face further delays or an end to eligibility under the Trump proposal.

The president also characterized family-based immigrants as “mostly low-wage and low-skill.” That is not true. According to an analysis by the Cato Institute, cited in Forbes magazine last year, nearly half of immigrants who entered the U.S. on a family or diversity visa in 2015 had at least a college degree, which compares favorably to 29% of U.S. natives with a college degree.

Last year, the administration’s immigration legislation failed to get even 40 votes in the Senate. If the administration actually introduces legislation this year, that legislation also is going nowhere. Instead of this nowhere plan, we need actual movement on immigration to provide a path to legal residence and citizenship for Dreamers and for all of the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are already building our communities and our country.

Family members, asylum seekers, refugees, farm workers, doctors, carpenters, and engineers: we have room for all of these immigrants and we need all of them to continue to grow our economy, support our Social Security system, and contribute their imagination, caring, and loyalty to our communities and our country.