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“La Lucha Sigue”: National Latina Institute Discusses Progress of Immigration Reform

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In the middle of a critical month for immigration reform, pro-immigration groups have doubled their efforts to help reform move forward, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) is no exception. Last Thursday, as a part of the Latina Week of Action and Reproductive Justice, the institute hosted a discussion panel titled “La Lucha Sigue: Complicating the Struggle for Immigration Reform” in which attendees had the opportunity to learn about the implications of the S.744 bill the Senate approved in June. The session was also intended to inform about the extreme danger that bills like The Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act (SAFE Act) represents to our community.

During the conversation, panelist Aidin Castillo—an immigration policy attorney at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center–gave an in-depth analysis of S. 744 and explained the positive aspects of the bill. “There is so much to applaud in the bill,” said Castillo. Without a doubt, the roadmap to citizenship for the 11 million, which would allow so many aspiring Americans to become equal participants in the United States, is a huge victory. However, as Castillo continued, “Congress has a lot of work to do for the bill to come close to being entirely positive from a civil liberties perspective.” For example, as Steven Lopez, senior Health Policy Analyst at the National Council of la Raza (NCLR) stated, “we remain deeply concerned about the devastating implications of the severe restrictions on health care. Under the Senate bill, women and families” may be forced to wait years for the insurance eligibility that would allow them to see a doctor.  These preoccupations will persist as the House of Representatives work on their own bill.

Two months since the Senate bill was passed, very little progress has been made in the House. In fact, the Senate bill was passed nearly two months ago and to this day there is no concrete information that lawmakers will create a legislation that offers a humane and fair path to citizenship to the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. At the contrary, as panelist Madhuri Singh Grewal, legislative associate for the Detention Watch Nework said, “too much attention is being given to the SAFE Act [instead]. And if enacted, this will lead to the rampant expansion of racial profiling, unconstitutional arrests, and mass detention and deportations.”

Grewal said that such “radical, draconian, and extremist legislation” would permit the prosecution of every undocumented individual who is unlawfully present, criminalizing the 11 million immigrants living in the U.S and tearing families apart. That is why that August recess is the perfect opportunity for those of us in the immigration advocacy community to make our voices heard, and to keep up our push for comprehensive immigration reform that would allow us aspiring citizens the opportunity to be part of this great nation.