Douglas Rivlin: “The American people have rejected extremism, in elections and in poll after poll, called for solutions on immigration, and endorsed a vision of immigration policy Congress can act on in coming weeks.”
Washington, DC – The following is a reflection from Douglas Rivlin, America’s Voice Director of Communication:
“Yesterday was a day of important developments on immigration with momentum building to solve problems with concrete action this year. Lawmakers and policy makers in Washington have a rare opportunity to improve the country and deliver meaningful reforms that match the American public’s consensus. And yesterday, in the form of the Biden Administration’s announcement to extend and redesignate TPS for Haiti and the announcement of a new Senate bipartisan legislative framework on immigration, we moved one step closer to delivering solutions that improve lives and move our country forward.
The American people have rejected extremism, in elections and in poll after poll, called for solutions on immigration, and endorsed a vision of immigration policy Congress can act on in coming weeks. Currently and throughout the years, approximately 70 percent of the public supports permanent status for Dreamers and other long-standing undocumented populations. Meanwhile, the American public strongly backs a balanced approach to immigration policy instead of the GOP’s ‘border first’ excuse for inaction. Similarly, there is enduring support for protecting the lives of people seeking asylum and investing in the system so that we evaluate asylum cases fairly and accurately, as demonstrated in a new poll released today by the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at U.C. San Diego and the #WelcomeWithDignity asylum rights campaign.
Overall, yesterday’s news should encourage lawmakers to move forward, make necessary changes to improve proposals, and tamp down the cynicism of Washington insiders who are skeptical that significant policy improvements are possible. The American people want their elected leaders to solve problems and work together to deliver solutions that improve lives and move our country forward. Let’s work to get it done.”
See America’s Voice’s statement yesterday on the Haiti TPS announcement here and our reaction to the leaked Sinema/Tillis proposal here.
