Republican Efforts to Repeal Affordable Care Act Are Sickening

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2017

CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, 213-375-3149, gastelum@nilc-ijf.org

WASHINGTON — The Republicans in the House of Representatives have unveiled another attempt to jam through their deeply unpopular bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This amended version of the so-called American Health Care Act, blessed by key members of the Freedom Caucus, would do nothing to stop 24 million people from losing health insurance and would instead further open the doors to allow states to undo many of the protections that allowed millions of people to purchase quality insurance.

Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center Immigrant Justice Fund:

“After failing in such a spectacular fashion in March, Republicans in Congress and the White House are at it again, with even more insidious tactics. They have once again shown little regard for the health of millions of working families, putting politics and their agenda ahead of this nation’s health.

“Although the Affordable Care Act has not been a comprehensive solution our country’s health care needs, it has allowed tens of millions — including many thousands of immigrant families — to get the care they need to stay healthy. Republican attempts to strip millions of the insurance they now have is cruel, and this amendment makes it even worse. Members of Congress must continue to resist.”

# # #

Senator Sessions’ Exclusionary Vision of America Makes Him Unfit to Serve as Attorney General

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 18, 2016

CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, gastelum@nilc-ijf.org, 213-375-3149

WASHINGTON — News outlets have reported that President-elect Donald Trump will appoint Senator Jeff Sessions to be the nation’s 84th attorney general. The attorney general oversees the Department of Justice, of which several federal law enforcement agencies are a part. The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which administers the immigration courts, is also an agency within the Justice Department. The current attorney general is Loretta Lynch.

Sessions has a documented history of making racist remarks, and recently he opposed the latest version of the Violence Against Women Act due to the protections it extended to undocumented women and lesbians who had been abused. Sessions has ardently opposed immigration, under the pretense of protecting the interests of American workers.

Below is a statement from Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center Immigrant Justice Fund. Hincapié wrote an op-ed last year about Sessions’ disingenuous comments about the American worker.

“The position of attorney general is the most important protector of our hard-fought civil rights. Those who make flattering remarks about the KKK, even supposedly in jest, have no business being appointed to protect the rights of Americans.

“Under Donald Trump, Jeff Sessions has been pushed from the fringe into the center of American politics. As a result, women, immigrants, the Black community, the LGBTQ community, and anyone who cares about justice and equality for all are being pushed out. This most recent appointment should send chills down the spines of all Americans.

“We must all stand together to defend our Constitution and all communities. We vigorously oppose this appointment and urge the Senate to swiftly reject Sessions, whose extremist views threaten to roll back the clock on civil rights for all.”

# # #