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Policymakers Focus on Immigration Reform and Family Separation

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Immigration was the major policy focus of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Trump Administration, and most Americans last week. The U.S. House voted on legislation and President Trump signed an Executive Order around family detention at our borders.

On Thursday, the U.S. House failed to pass H.R. 4760 the Securing America’s Future Act of 2018. This legislation, sponsored by Judiciary Chairman, Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), focused on militarizing our borders. It also failed to provide a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of Dreamers or address the issue of uniting immigrant families at our borders. Another piece of legislation, H.R. 6136, a compromise bill put together by House Republican leadership was pulled before a scheduled vote.

The League has been working extensively to meet with and talk to lawmakers and their staff on these bad bills. A memo was sent to all House members and members of the LWVUS Lobby Corps were on Capitol Hill while grassroots League activists responded to an action alert calling on their Representatives to oppose the legislation.

The family separation crisis on our border continues despite President Trump signing an Executive Order to end family separation. The President was attempting to respond to a crisis of his own making. His Executive Order fails to end the policy of separating families and resolve the crisis. The current practice of separating families at our borders violates our human rights and moral responsibilities.

Families Belong Together marches and protests are scheduled for this Saturday, June 30, in Washington, DC and around the country.

Now is the time for lawmakers and the President to hear from us. We must continue to beat the drum on this issue.

To find a local event and make your voice heard please visit familiesbelongtogether.org.   

The League will continue to take our message to Congress and the President. We must treat those wishing to come to this country with dignity and resist the urge to militarize the border, criminalize immigrants or threaten the right of due process for all persons.

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