LULAC ANALYSIS: THE BORDER CRISIS – OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES TO REFORM A BROKEN SYSTEM
Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Says New Research Data Demonstrates The Need and Urgency For Comprehensive Bi-Partisan Immigration Reform
January 22, 2024
Contact David Cruz - (818) 689-9991
davidcruz@lulac.org
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is drawing attention to new research data from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) that underscores the urgency of addressing immigration issues without focusing on it solely being based on political bias and debate. According to the MPI study, the Biden Administration has undertaken 535 immigration-related executive actions during its first three years, surpassing the 472 advanced during the entire four years of the Trump administration, which was considered the most activist presidency on immigration. The study provides a detailed overview that can be accessed here.
Currently, the Biden Administration is grappling with a broken system that has put at risk the lives of the diverse migrant population arriving in more significant numbers as families seek to enter the U.S.
"The Biden Administration began addressing immigration as one of his first orders of business when he first took office. We would implore both the Administration and those with legislative oversight in Congress to work collaboratively on immigration reform policies that provide increased opportunities for legal entry to migrants, create order in the agencies, save lives, and reduce the congestion in our border communities," says Lydia Guzman, LULAC National Immigration Committee Chair.
The MPI report highlights factors such as war, violence, instability, human rights abuses, natural disasters, poverty, and economic spirals triggered by the pandemic as contributors to the 2023 surge in migrant arrivals to the U.S.
"What this data shows is that migration and dealing with its effects is a complex and difficult process that will require all of us to work together in local communities, states, at the federal level, and help the countries that are the main source of the current immigration influx into the U.S.," says Ray Mancera, LULAC National Vice President for the Southwest. "The arrival of migrants could be the greatest infusion into the strength of America if we harnessed all this new labor, talent, and the human desire to succeed," says Mancera.
The MPI research clarifies that existing U.S. laws and enforcement resources were developed mainly for a different era and are ill-equipped to handle today's diverse border arrivals. The issue has reached a flashpoint that demands a solution-oriented, bi-partisan approach, advocacy support, and public-private partnerships.
"In its 95-year history, LULAC has been a champion for civil rights for the marginalized and oppressed," says Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President. "We cannot stand by silently and allow more desperate refugees- women, children, and families - to die in the waters of the Rio Grande, the high temperatures of the Southwest deserts, or to sleep on the streets of our major cities due to overcrowding and mismanagement of a process. LULAC will remain steadfast and focused on advocating and supporting a comprehensive immigration plan with a pathway to citizenship. We are committed to working with the Biden Administration, Members of Congress, and our friends and partners throughout the country to advocate for a long, overdue reform to the immigration system currently in place."
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