Create a Just Immigration System

Instead of extending humanity and compassion to migrants and refugees, we treat them as criminals. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is an unreformable organization that has become increasingly militarized, brutal, and unaccountable. However, we must not simply revert back to the immigration system that preceded ICE. We must welcome immigrants into our country and provide them simple and accessible means to becoming documented.

• There are over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States, among them 3.6 million that entered before their 18th birthday and who know no home other than America
• A further 325,000 people have been afforded Temporary Protected Status, living with terrifying uncertainty about the future despite their deep connections to this country after having spent decades living in and contributing to our communities
• Federal officials estimate it could take as long as two years to identify the thousands of children who have been separated from their families at the southern border
• The Trump Administration, in one of its first official actions, implemented the so-called ‘Muslim Ban”, a cruel and discriminatory policy that has separated countless families with heartbreaking consequences
• Also under the Trump Administration, ICE has set records for arresting undocumented immigrants who have no criminal record. The agency is increasingly targeting those who’ve committed no crime other than seeking to escape horrific circumstances in search of a safer home

Vision and policy priorities

Reform our inhumane immigration system

• Abolish ICE, and end all inhumane deportation and detention programs
• Prosecute federal officials who have been accused of physical and sexual assault of people in their detention
• Oppose all efforts to further militarize our border and any attempt to expand the border wall along the southern border
• Protect Sanctuary Cities and Counties by preventing Trump’s administration from withholding federal funding
• Fight back against the criminalization of immigration and crossing the border

Establish a just immigration system

• Create a fair and accessible pathway to legal status and citizenship for DREAMERS, TPS recipients and all undocumented people living in the US.​
• End the President’s xenophobic Muslim Ban and hold the Administration accountable for its reckless abuse of power
• Expand the number of refugees and asylum-seekers admitted to the United States
• Adopt community-based alternatives to detention