From: The Honorable Raul M. Grijalva
Sent By: norma.salazar@mail.house.gov
Date: 4/22/2016

Support Fair Treatment of Immigrants on 20th Anniversary

Endorsed by 70+ organizations

DEADLINE: 12:00 PM TUESDAY, APRIL 26

Dear Colleagues:

There is growing bipartisan acknowledgment of the devastating impact that the criminal justice system has on communities of color, including immigrants.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. These laws dramatically expanded the criminalization of immigrants by expanding the range of convictions for which immigrants are automatically detained and removed. They created deportation processes that have led to the incarceration and long-term detention of thousands of immigrants in for-profit detention centers without access to representation.

To address the criminalization of immigrants and advance immigration policies that reduce automatic deportation and detention, restore due process for immigrants, and repeal unnecessary barriers to legal immigration, we will be introducing a House Resolution which calls for:

1. Acknowledging immigrants are deserving of human rights

2. Updating the definition of “aggravated felonies”

3. Reinstating discretion to immigration judges

4. Restoring due process to the immigration process

5. Eliminating mandatory and prolonged detention

6. Repealing programs that entangle local law enforcement with federal immigration authorities

7. Repealing bars or other unnecessary barriers to legal immigration

If you have any questions or would like to be an original cosponsor of the resolution please contact Norma Salazar with Rep. Grijalva at norma.salazar@mail.house.gov.

Sincerely,

/s                                                                                  /s

Raúl M. Grijalva                                                          Keith Ellison

Co-Chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus             Co-Chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus

/s

Judy Chu

Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

Endorsed By:

1Love Movement, AFL-CIO, African American Ministers In Action, Alianza Americas, America’s Voice Education Fund, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Amnesty International USA, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF), Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Los Angeles, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, Asian Prisoner Support Committee, ASPIRE-LA, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Casa Esperanza, Center for Community Change, Center for Popular Democracy, Church World Service, Conversations With Friends (Mn), Detention Watch Network, Drug Policy Alliance, El Centro Hispano, Fair Immigration Reform Movement, FIRM, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, Families for Freedom, Farmworker Justice, Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Grassroots Leadership, Human Rights Watch, Immigrant Defense Project, Immigrant Justice Corps, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Jobs With Justice, Justice Strategies, JustLeadershipUSA , Latin America Working Group, Latino Commission on AIDS, LATINOJUSTICE PRLDEF, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, League of United Latin American Citizens, MALDEF, Migrant Justice (VT), Mijente, NAACP, NAFSA: Association of International Educators, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Immigrant Justice Center, National Immigration Law Center, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, National Juvenile Justice Network, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National People’s Action, New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, PICO, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), RITA-Reform Immigration for Texas Alliance, Riverside Sojourners, Salvadoran American National Network (SANN), South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT), Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Trans Queer Pueblo, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, United We Dream, Washington Square Legal Services Immigrant Rights Clinic , We Belong Together, WeCount!