Aug 1, 2014 - NATIONAL LEADERS CALL FOR AFFIRMATIVE RELIEF FOR UNDOCUMENTED

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August 14, 2014

National Hispanic Leaders Call for Affirmative Relief for Undocumented

Two-year-old successful DACA program provides model for broader relief

Washington, D.C. -- In its continued effort around its Latinos United for Immigration Reform campaign, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 37 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, sent a letter to President Barack Obama ahead of Friday's two-year anniversary of the implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, calling for its expansion and the creation of an affirmative relief program modeled on DACA for the broader undocumented population.

"Since the U.S. House of Representatives has failed to act on the bipartisan Senate bill passed last year, or any of its own legislation, it is now time for President Obama to use his executive power to bring relief to the hundreds of thousands of families being torn apart by deportation. On this two year anniversary of DACA, and in continuation of the NHLA's advocacy efforts, we want to draw attention to the fact that the successful implementation of DACA provides a viable framework for broader affirmative relief," said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. While recognizing the DACA program as one of the Obama Administration's most successful undertakings, NHLA's letter provides recommendations on how to address the program's limitations due to arbitrary eligibility criteria that exclude a significant portion of those whom DACA was meant to help—individuals who were brought to the country as children. NHLA's recommendations include, among other things, eliminating age limits; reducing from five to two years the requirement that DACA applicants continuously reside in the U.S. before June 15, 2012; and eliminating the burdensome requirement that applicants prove the "demonstrated effectiveness" of their educational program. Since Congress has failed to pass immigration reform legislation, NHLA recommends that the Obama Administration use its executive powers to establish a new program, separate from DACA but modeled on it, that would provide affirmative relief allowing a broad range of undocumented individuals to apply for work authorization and relief from deportation. These individuals should include, among others, those who have resided in the U.S. for three or more years; individuals who are regularly employed, including agricultural and seasonal workers; and immediate family members of U.S. citizens, immigrants with legal permanent residence, and DACA-holders. NHLA recommends that this affirmative relief program be independent from DACA in order to insulate DACA from interference by legal challenges that may be made against the broader program. NHLA also recognizes, and has urged the Administration to ensure, that any program of affirmative relief must also include enforcement reforms to protect all eligible immigrants, even those who choose not to or cannot afford to apply for relief, and other peaceful migrants, from deportation For the full text of the letter, click here or copy and paste this web address into your browser: http://latinosunited.org/immigrationreform/NHLAProposalforAdministrativeReliefandExecutiveActions7-29-14.pdf

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