Jul 30, 2014 - NATIONAL HISPANIC LEADERS URGE "NO" VOTE ON HOUSE BORDER SUPPLEMENTAL BILL

National Hispanic Leaders Urge "No" Vote on House Border Supplemental Bill
Rolling back due process rights for vulnerable children is not the answer to the humanitarian situation along the southern border

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 37 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, issued the following statement opposing H.R. 5230, a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide supplemental funding for border security and handling the humanitarian situation of increased child migration. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 5230 this week, possibly as early as Wednesday.

"The border supplemental funding bill, H.R. 5230, is the wrong response to the humanitarian situation created by the increased number of unaccompanied children who have arrived at the southern border, fleeing violence and extreme hardship in Central America. As NHLA articulated in its July 16 letter to Congress, we oppose any measure that would weaken the text or undermine the spirit of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and other related legal protections made available to migrant children. Unfortunately, H.R. 5230 does exactly that by amending TVPRA to short-circuit due process and expedite the removal of refugee children, many of whom may have legitimate claims for asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, or T- and U-nonimmigrant visas for victims of human trafficking and criminal activity.

"H.R. 5230 also proposes to waste taxpayer dollars on sending National Guard troops to the southern border based on the misperception that the border is not secure. To the contrary, the border is secure. Refugee children are voluntarily turning themselves in to U.S. authorities and apprehensions by border patrol agents are at record lows. Putting more armed agents and soldiers along the border to confront children is an exaggerated and political response that misses the reality of the refugee crisis and will do nothing to reduce the number of children seeking refuge here.

"NHLA therefore urges members of the U.S. House of Representatives to vote against H.R. 5230, which NHLA will include in its congressional scorecard.

"Instead of passing H.R. 5230, Congress should preserve children's due process rights; provide access to legal counsel as proposed in H.R.4936, the Vulnerable Immigrant Voice Act of 2014; increase funding for humanitarian assistance, which is far too low in H.R. 5230; and provide funding for the U.S. government to improve conditions for children in the countries of origin through cooperation with governments and civil society to create a lasting solution."

For the full text of NHLA's July 16 letter to Congress regarding the budgetary and legislative response to unaccompanied minors from Central America, click here or copy and paste this web address into your browser: http://bit.ly/71614nhla

Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

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