Contact:
Estuardo Rodriguez, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (202) 631-2892
Chris Espinosa, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (202) 641-7186

NHLA urges steps to fairly enforce immigration law following President Obama’s meeting with Hispanic leaders in Congress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lillian Rodriguez-López, chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of the 30 leading Hispanic organizations in the United States, issued a statement following President Barack Obama’s meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

“President Obama has the power to stop the unfair deportations of students, parents, and other noncriminal immigrants. These deportations have torn thousands of families apart. We want the President to begin taking these modest steps immediately to enforce immigration law more fairly. The members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus deserve our community’s thanks for meeting with the President yesterday to urge him to use his authority to ensure greater discretion is used in deportations and other adverse immigration enforcement actions.

“We appreciate the series of recent meetings the President has convened to broaden support for comprehensive immigration reform, but we are well past the initial commitment to enact reform in his first year in office and believe that at this point, administrative actions can certainly curtail unnecessarily harsh enforcement measures. In the meantime, the Hispanic community will continue to demand that both Democrats and Republicans work constructively to fix our broken immigration system and deliver fairness to hardworking immigrants and their families across America,” said Lillian Rodriguez-López, chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda.

# # #

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 .