FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 13, 2019

CONTACT
Alex Gilliland, gilliland@nilc-ijf.org, 650-823-4575

LOS ANGELES — In response to the release of Vice President Joe Biden’s immigration plan, Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, released the following statement.

“Vice President Biden’s immigration plan includes some notable measures to improve our immigration system. By vowing to end workplace raids and by outlining stronger support for farmworkers and domestic workers and stronger protections against worker exploitation, Vice President Biden has indicated that he understands the vulnerability of immigrants in the workplace and that their rights must be protected.

“Standing up for workers is important, but the next administration must also go further to fully address the harmful role that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have played in our communities — subjecting immigrants to constant fear due to the agencies’ aggressive and often unlawful practices. For years, ICE and CBP have wasted billions in taxpayer dollars to inflict punishment, pain, and fear on immigrant communities and to criminalize people who came to the U.S. to pursue a brighter future. A Biden administration must go further than this plan to truly change the agency’s corrupt and abusive practices. We’re long overdue in addressing the deep-seated injustice and inhumanity of our immigration laws and policies.

“Vice President Biden is right — we need an immigration policy that reflects our highest values. Our current system isn’t living up to that, and we need an immigration plan that boldly addresses these gaps, to ensure that all people, regardless of where they were born, can thrive here.”