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NIJC has a new Chicago address at 111 W. Jackson Blvd, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60604 and a new email domain at @immigrantjustice.org.

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Contact NIJC Communications Director Tara Tidwell Cullen at (312) 833-2967 or by email.

Statement of Mary Meg McCarthy, Executive Director, National Immigrant Justice Center

Heartland Alliance’s National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is appalled by mean-spirited attempts by certain members of Congress to reverse President Obama’s immigration executive action and roll back protections for children and families fleeing rampant violence in Central America.

Congress is expected to vote today on amendments to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Appropriations Bill H.R. 240 and Rep. Aderholt’s (R-AL) H.R. 191. Amendments to the DHS Appropriations Bill terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which has allowed millions of DREAMers to live and work without fear of deportation. In addition, amendments would halt expansion of DACA and the creation of a similar program, Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA), which is expected to provide relief to millions of parents of U.S. citizen and lawful permanent resident children. The proposed amendments would also repeal DHS memos on immigration enforcement that establish commonsense rules to focus enforcement operations on national security and public safety risks. H.R. 191 also repeals DACA and DAPA, but then goes even further, to weaken the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) and eliminate critical due process protections for children fleeing persecution. Without the TVPRA, many children may be deported back into harm’s way before they even have the opportunity to tell their stories in court.  

The president’s new programs will give millions of people temporary relief from fear of deportation and keep families together. These are policies that Congress should try to improve and expand, not attack. NIJC urges House members to refocus their efforts on comprehensive immigration reform legislation that will keep families together and ensure due process for those who seek safety in our country.