June 2, 2015 - LATINO LEADERS URGE CONGRESS TO VOTE AGAINST ANTI-IMMIGRANT AMENDMENTS

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June 2, 2015

LATINO LEADERS URGE CONGRESS TO VOTE AGAINST ANTI-IMMIGRANT AMENDMENTS
NHLA will score votes on amendments to bill funding the Justice Department

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, issued the following letter to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives, urging them to vote against three anti-immigrant amendments expected to be offered to the Commerce, Justice, Science appropriations bill (H.R. 2578) for fiscal year 2016. NHLA also informed the Members of Congress that it would include these votes in its congressional scorecard.

Text of the letter:

June 2, 2015

U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Re: NHLA Position on Amendments to FY16 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Amendments

Dear Representative:

On behalf of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 leading nonpartisan national Latino advocacy organizations, we strongly urge you to vote against any anti-immigrant amendments offered to H.R. 2578, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2016.

NHLA's mission calls for unity among Hispanics nationwide to provide the Latino community with greater visibility and a stronger voice in our nation's affairs, including the pressing need to reform our badly broken immigration system. NHLA will closely monitor votes on amendments to H.R. 2578 and will include them in future NHLA scorecards evaluating Members' support for the Latino community.

In particular, NHLA urges you to vote "nay" on the following amendments:

• Amendment No. 2 offered by U.S. Rep. Steve King to prohibit funds from being used for the legal defense of individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States. This amendment would block federal support for efforts to provide legal representation for vulnerable populations with meritorious claims for relief, including unaccompanied children, and victims of mistreatment, exploitation, and trafficking. Without government assistance to representation, it is nearly impossible for unaccompanied children – who range in age from toddlers to teenagers – to identify attorneys and navigate our complex immigration laws and adversarial Immigration proceedings. Additionally, there may be a fiscal savings where immigrants have access to counsel for removal proceedings.

• Amendment No. 3 offered by U.S. Rep. Steve King to prohibit funds from being used to with respect to the case of Texas v. United States, No. 15-40238 (5th Cir. May 26, 2015) (order denying appeal of preliminary junction and motion for stay). This amendment would prevent the Administration from defending legal challenges to the Immigration Accountability Executive Actions announced in November 2014 to address some of the most immediate and damaging flaws in our immigration practices. In addition to effectively blocking the implementation of a sensible policy that helps families across the country, preventing a party to a legal dispute from the ability to mount an effective legal defense in court would pervert our system of justice and set a dangerous precedent.

• Amendment offered by U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar to prohibit funds for immigration guidance, as issued in Operating Policies and Procedures Memorandum 15-01, Hearing Procedures for Cases Covered by new DHS Priorities and Initiatives. This amendment seeks to block implementation of the Administration's Immigration Accountability Executive Actions. The impact of blocking these actions would cause disproportionate harm to Latino families, who are the primary recipients of current and future grants of deferred action. Instead of attempting to cripple the Administration's movement toward fair and humane immigration practices, Congress must work with the Administration to enact bipartisan, comprehensive, and long-lasting immigration reforms.

We appreciate your attention to our concerns. For additional information, please do not hesitate to contact NHLA through Andrea Senteno of MALDEF, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 202-572-0467.

Sincerely,

Thomas A. Saenz Jose Calderón
MALDEF, President and General Counsel Hispanic Federation, President
NHLA Immigration Committee Co-Chair NHLA Immigration Committee Co-Chair

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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. In 2013, NHLA launched the Latinos United for Immigration Reform campaign. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and follow @NHLAgenda.