FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 22, 2019
CONTACT
Alex Gilliland, gilliland@nilc-ijf.org, 650-823-4575
LOS ANGELES — In response to the release of Pete Buttigieg’s immigration plan, Avideh Moussavian, Legislative Director of the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, released the following statement.
“As the son of an immigrant, Mayor Buttigieg knows well how central immigrants have always been in moving America forward, so we appreciate that his immigration plan shows a commitment to more inclusive opportunities for immigrants to fully thrive in their communities. Policies like eliminating the five-year waiting period for green card holders to access health insurance or food assistance, expanding Pell grants for DACA recipients, and extending workplace protections will make a major difference in the lives of many immigrants. Similarly, his plan would redress some long-standing injustices in our immigration laws by narrowing the crimes or offenses that would make someone deportable and committing to ensure no one has to face potential deportation without the right to legal counsel.
“Overall this is a strong plan, with an emphasis on humanitarian support to immigrant families. However, it could be strengthened by explicitly outlining how he would undo the Trump administration’s public charge regulation, which could have the widest and longest impact of any policy yet. As many as 26 million people could be impacted and any presidential candidate must vow to repeal it upon taking office.
“Furthermore, it is disappointing that the plan does not lay out more detailed and robust accountability measures for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). We have seen unprecedented numbers of people dying in detention or being subjected to inhumane conditions under ICE and CBP, and the rampant abuse of executive authority that has funded the abusive practices at these agencies. It’s simply not enough to return to pre-Trump enforcement priorities while these agencies continue to amass more resources to harm our communities. Our next president must take deliberate steps toward reforms that ensure our government treats aspiring Americans in alignment with our values.”
###