Immigration
LCCR urges the Administration to break with the policies of the past and pursue a Immigrants have always been the foundation and the future of our nation. However, the U.S. immigration system is beset by many of the same problems as the criminal justice system, e.g., racial profiling, unduly harsh penalties for minor crimes and, in some circumstances, a basic lack of equal treatment and due process. Asylum and amnesty are readily available to certain victims of foreign oppression of favored nationalities (e.g., Cubans and Nicaraguans) but are often denied to similar victims from other countries. Lost amidst the efforts to toughen the immigration laws and their enforcement is the basic obligation of the INS to reduce the backlog in citizenship applications, facilitate family reunification, protect against exploitation and discrimination based upon national origin and race, and otherwise serve the needs of immigrants. The perception of our immigration system, both within the country and globally, is that it is at best arbitrary and, at worst, racist.
positive immigration agenda during the 107th Congress. This includes, among other measures:
- Repeal of the most draconian provisions of the 1996 immigration law, including deportation of otherwise law-abiding legal immigrants convicted of minor crimes decades ago, restoring the right to due process and judicial review of deportation and similar orders and mandatory detention. Legislation that would address a small part of this issue passed the House of Representatives in the 106th Congress (it did not require judicial review of such orders, which is essential to due process). LCCR urges the Administration to support enhancement and enactment of such legislation by the 107th Congress.
- Amnesty to long-resident immigrants — including persons from Central America, Haiti and Liberia — who fled to the U.S. to escape civil unrest in their countries. Simple justice demands that they, and other similarly situated refugees, be granted the amnesty long given to Cubans and Nicaraguans.
- A re-evaluation of policies and practices along the Southwest border. The current policies have not reduced the number of undocumented immigrants entering the country, but they have caused many of them to die or be injured. They have also encouraged vigilante activities by private citizens who live along the border.
- Racial profiling is a particularly egregious practice of immigration authorities at the border and northward. The Administration should commit itself to purging the INS of this practice.
- Reduction of the backlog in citizenship applications and other measures to make the INS more efficient, responsive and fair.
- Restoration of safety-net welfare benefits for legal immigrants. These persons are here legally, work and pay taxes.
- Full, permanent restoration of Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This provision, which allows undocumented immigrants to apply for legal status while remaining in the U.S. (for a fee), was restored last year for only a four-month period. Making this laudable practice permanent would further the goal of family unification that is at the core of the immigration laws.
- Increase funding for the Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices. Created in 1986, this Office is responsible for ensuring that the immigration laws do not cause employers to discriminate against foreign looking or sounding applicants.
