July 22, 2015 LATINO LEADERS CALL ON HOUSE TO VOTE "NO" ON ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILL

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July 22, 2015

LATINO LEADERS CALL ON HOUSE TO VOTE "NO" ON ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILL

HR 3009 scapegoats Latino immigrants for political gain and fails to promote public safety

Washington, D.C. –The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 of the nation’s preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, wrote to Members of Congress in the U.S. House of Representatives today strongly opposing H.R. 3009, the so-called “Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act” and continued efforts to make sweeping generalizations about Latino immigrants for political gain. In its letter, NHLA alerts Representatives that votes on H.R. 3009 and similar legislation will be included in its congressional scorecard.

“This enforcement-only piecemeal bill is simply another vehicle for spreading the same lies that Donald Trump has espoused about Latino immigrants. The truth is that immigrants are less likely to be involved in crime than native-born Americans and that H.R. 3009 will not improve public safety,” said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “Congress should vote down this offensive bill and then get to work on serious immigration reform.”

“Precipitous legislation never works out well,” stated Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Vice Chair and President and General Counsel of MALDEF. “HR 3009 and proposals like it are not serious policymaking, but a particularly pernicious and repugnant kind of worthless political theater.”

"This type of legislation only serves to satisfy the anti-immigrant impulses of certain politicians at the expense of our community," said Jose Calderon, President of Hispanic Federation and Co-Chair of NHLA's Immigration Committee. "If implemented, this bill would end up wasting law enforcement resources on locking up and deporting individuals for minor non-violent offenses, tearing families apart, and destroying trust between local law enforcement and immigrant communities."

The full text of NHLA’s letter to U.S. Representatives can be found below and at this link: http://bit.ly/1KlkHgl

Re: NHLA Opposition to H.R. 3009, Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act

Dear Representative:

We write on behalf of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 39 leading national Latino nonpartisan civil rights and advocacy organizations, to strongly urge you to vote against H.R. 3009.

H.R. 3009 would withhold federal law enforcement funding for states and local jurisdictions, characterized as “sanctuary cities,” that limit interaction between federal immigration agencies and local law enforcement agencies in order to build trust in the community and promote local public safety goals. NHLA recommends a “no” vote on H.R. 3009, the Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act and any similar legislation. NHLA will closely monitor any votes on them for inclusion in future NHLA scorecards evaluating Member support for the Latino community.

Such legislation, a misguided response to the tragic murder of an innocent woman in San Francisco, is based on sweeping generalizations about all immigrants based on the actions of one individual, thus scapegoating immigrants, and in particular Latino immigrants. It is unacceptable when a presidential contender such as Donald Trump makes such generalizations in campaigning and equally unacceptable when Members of Congress do so in legislating. No responsible public official should use this tragedy as a pretext for harsh and unproductive policies that only serve to satisfy the anti-immigrant impulses of certain politicians while doing nothing to improve public safety. The facts speak for themselves: numerous studies have shown that immigrants are less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans, less likely to commit crimes, and less likely to be repeat offenders.

Though the case in San Francisco is tragic, no single occurrence should warrant such a wholesale change in policy, particularly with insufficient time to obtain all the facts and relevant policy considerations in relation to the case. Legislating based on scoring political points and ignoring the underlying problems of our immigration and criminal justice systems is not the solution. The federal government has implemented harsh immigration removal policies in the recent past, including unconstitutional detainer requests, that failed to promote public safety, instead tearing families apart by deporting individuals for minor nonviolent offenses and creating fear of authorities that undermined the cooperation that local law enforcement needs in order to protect the public.

In order to effectively address problems with our broken immigration system, Congress should resume the effort started in the 113th Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

We appreciate your attention to our concerns. Please 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 with any questions regarding this letter. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

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

Jose Calderón
Hispanic Federation, President
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 LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

| Teresa Acuña | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 508-6917 |

| Brenda Arredondo | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | (202) 587-4945 |