FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2024
CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, gastelum@immigantjusticefund.org, 213-375-3149
WASHINGTON – The NILC Immigrant Justice Fund announced today that it is endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and dedicating significant resources to supporting her campaign for president.
Kica Matos, President of the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, said:
“Vice President Harris is unequivocally the right candidate for this historic moment. Throughout her career in public service, the Vice President has been a consistent, pro-immigrant champion. In the Senate, she stood firm with immigrant youth in the fight to protect DACA and led the resistance to Donald Trump’s cruel family separation policy. As Vice President, she was instrumental in expanding health care access for DACA recipients and empowering immigrant whistleblowers to report workplace abuse.
“The contrast between the Vice President and Donald Trump could not be more striking. Donald Trump’s Project 2025 is an existential threat that would separate families, destroy our economy, and endanger our democracy. With the stakes as high as they are, the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund enthusiastically endorses Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States. We are ready to work with her to advance immigrant justice, hold her accountable when necessary, and defeat Donald Trump.”
Following its endorsement NILC-IJF is planning an initial six-figure digital ad buy targeting voters in Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia, and intends to provide direct monetary and engagement support to state-based, grassroots organizations to mobilize voters and support the Vice President’s candidacy for President.
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IJF Statement on President Biden’s Decision to End Reelection Campaign
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2024
CONTACT
Will Dempster, dempster@immigrantjusticefund.org, 908-413-0153
WASHINGTON – Kica Matos, President of the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund, issued the following statement on President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection campaign:
“Four years ago, President Biden stepped up to lead when his country needed him to stop Donald Trump and his anti-democratic agenda. Today, we commend the President for his selfless decision to end his campaign today.
“Immigrant communities know what’s at stake in this election, and the choice before us is clear. We are ready to work with the Democratic nominee to build a 21st-century immigration system and will dedicate the next four months to doing everything in our power to defeat Trump in this election. He is too extreme to lead.”
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IJF Statement on President Biden’s Decision to Offer Affirmative Relief to Some Long-Term Undocumented Immigrants Married to U.S. Citizens
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2024
CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, gastelum@immigrantjusticefund.org, 213-375-3149
WASHINGTON — Bri Gillis, vice president of political strategy at the Immigrant Justice Fund, issued the following statement in response to President Biden’s announcement that he would be extending affirmative immigration relief to some long-term undocumented immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens and relief to certain DACA eligible individuals:
“This victory is the result of years of advocacy and the collective determination of the immigrant justice movement. Since 2020, we have been pushing President Biden to keep the promises he made to immigrant communities as a candidate. Today’s announcement is a welcome step in that direction.
“The President’s forward-thinking announcement demonstrates what’s at stake in this election: Donald Trump is promising to tear communities apart, while President Biden is pursuing common sense solutions that will keep hundreds of thousands of families together. In the months ahead, it’s imperative that the President Biden recognizes how taking actions like this one does not just constitute good policy, it can help him win in November.”
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NILC Immigrant Justice Fund Conducts Exhaustive Review of Extreme, Anti-Immigrant Trump Agenda
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 21, 2024
CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, gastelum@immigrantjusticefund.org, 213-375-3149
WASHINGTON – The NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF) today launches its latest “Too Extreme To Lead” research report on the presumptive Republican nominee for the U.S. Presidency, Donald Trump.
The report outlines Trump’s extreme positions on immigration, gathered through an extensive analysis of public comments by the candidate and his key advisors on immigration in the past year
“Much like in his first presidential run, Trump is driving his campaign with anti-immigrant fearmongering, incendiary rhetoric, and extreme policy proposals. Trump’s out of touch and harmful agenda would make the country less safe, make our immigration system less fair and humane, and shutter our economy,” said Bri Gillis, vice president of political strategy at the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund. “After he wreaked havoc on our immigration system for four years, voters rejected Trump’s destructive vision for our communities in 2020 and defeated anti-immigrant extremists in the 2022 midterm elections. They will do so again this election year.”
Read IJF’s full report summarizing why Trump is too extreme to lead.
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NILC Immigrant Justice Fund Launches Congressional Immigration Scorecard, Will Score and Oppose Supplemental Funding Agreement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 6, 2024
CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, NILC - IJF, gastelum@immigrantjusticefund.org, 213-375-3149
WASHINGTON – The NILC Immigrant Justice Fund (IJF) today announced the launch of its congressional scorecard, which will measure and grade policymakers on their support for issues affecting low-income immigrants and their loved ones. IJF will kick off this effort by scoring opposition to the Supplemental Funding Bill – which includes a range of dangerous anti-immigrant provisions in exchange for temporary foreign aid. The scorecard will be made publicly available later this year.
“As voters and political donors get ready to make their voices heard in 2024, it’s more important than ever that they can rely on objective information to separate pro-immigrant champions from politicians backing proposals that harm our communities – including the Supplemental Funding bill Congress is currently debating,” said Bri Gillis, vice president of political strategy at the NILC Immigrant Justice Fund. “Immigrants are a strength to our nation and a growing political constituency. Together, we can build a future where our nation's immigration policies reflect the values of compassion, fairness, and freedom."
The scorecard will consider a congressmember’s votes and co-sponsorships of immigration-related issues and evaluate each candidate's commitment to fair and just immigration policies. It will serve as a crucial tool for voters and political donors who share these values, allowing them to identify candidates who are not just pro-immigrant in rhetoric but in their legislative actions and advocacy.
IJF encourages voters to engage with the scorecard, join the conversation, and hold their elected officials accountable. IJF will release an interim report on congressional ratings in the summer of 2024, and a report at the conclusion of the 118th Congress.
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Immigrant Advocates, Senator Merkley, Warn Against Return to Trump Extremism
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 19, 2023
CONTACT
Juan Gastelum, NILC - IJF, gastelum@immigrantjusticefund.org, 213-375-3149
Chanea Davis, CASA in Action, cdavis@casainaction.org, 301-717-449
WASHINGTON –The National Immigration Law Center Immigrant Justice Fund and immigrant leaders from CASA in Action joined Senator Jeff Merkley on a press call to emphasize how a return to Trump-era extremism would be not only out of alignment with most American voters, but also disastrous for immigrant communities and our country as a whole.
The Immigrant Justice Fund unveiled its research outlining the policies Trump has vowed to pursue if re-elected, which represent the most extreme anti-immigrant agenda in modern history. See the full report here.
Kica Matos, President of the Immigrant Justice Fund, said, “During Donald Trump’s time in office, we saw immigrant children in cages, communities living in constant fear, and abject cruelty at our southern border. If reelected, he has vowed not only to reinstate every cruelty he enacted in office, but also pursue new policies that would harm millions of people. Immigrants help build America. We contribute to the economy, pay taxes, work essential jobs, and move the country forward. We need to do everything in our power to make sure Donald Trump never steps foot in the White House again.”
Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) recounted being the first member of Congress to witness Trump's child separation policy at the border in 2018, and said, "It's just hard to believe the United States, land of Lady Liberty holding up her torch to the storm-tossed people of the world, was in the business of directly injuring children as a policy strategy. But we were in that business under Trump — and he had no qualms about it. In fact, in May of this year, at the CNN town hall, he defended this policy and implied that he would reinstate it. We believe in compassion, not cruelty, and we must never let the darkest days of Trump once again come to the Oval Office."
Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, Chief of Organizing and Leadership for CASA in Action, said, “CASA in Action seeks to give a voice to CASA in Action members and all immigrants who have been deeply affected by the hateful rhetoric caused by Donald Trump’s presidency. Immigrants were constantly shamed and dehumanized. Even now, long after his presidency, immigrants are left to deal with the consequences of teaching such inflammatory rhetoric. CASA in Action denounces all hate speech, policies, and implications that are associated with Trump running for office ever again. We will continue to work for immigrant communities, holding policy makers accountable for this dangerous rhetoric that holds great consequence. CASA in Action will continue to endorse policy makers that advance the priorities and facilitation of greater engagement of voters of all communities.”
Jonthan Rhodes, CASA in Action member, said, “I’ve been told to go back to my country, and all sorts of racial slurs because Donald Trump - a president of the United States - said these racial slurs so the public felt comfortable saying these hateful things too. Immigrants are the ones who built this country, immigrants are the backbone of this country. Imagine what this country would have been, and would be, without immigrants."
Diana Pliego, DACA recipient and federal advocacy strategist at the National Immigration Law Center, said, “Donald Trump and other Republican extremists have tried to take DACA away for years and have pledged to do the same again if re-elected. As we continue to fight for permanent protections, what we need are leaders who prioritize solutions, not ones who scapegoat immigrants and play games with our lives. Our communities deserve to live free from the fear that we could lose the lives we’ve built in the place we call home.”
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The NILC Immigrant Justice Fund aims to encourage full participation of low-income immigrants in the democratic process and to advance smart, effective, fair immigration policy. Like the millions of voters who denounced Trumpism in 2020, most Americans want candidates that truly represent their views, and we’re working to elect more people to office who will pass commonsense improvements to our immigration system, particularly a pathway to citizenship.
By mobilizing Black and brown voters, CASA in Action, and its 125,000+ members, play a powerful role in electing progressive change leaders who can produce the justice our members seek. CASA in Action endorses candidates that advance its membership’s priorities and facilitates greater engagement of Latinos and voters of color in elections.
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