National Council of La Raza: Policies

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

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Overview

The current U.S. immigration system is in need of fundamental reform. Real reform must establish policies that address the needs of the country now and in the future. Congressional failure to enact reform has led to piecemeal state and local measures that are detrimental to the well-being and safety of Hispanic and sister communities. The harsh tone of the immigration debate in recent years has fomented an environment of intolerance against immigrants, regardless of immigration status, and against Latinos in general. Our broken system has led to a burgeoning undocumented population whose status makes it easier for them to be preyed upon and harder to integrate into American society. Unscrupulous employers readily exploit undocumented workers, dysfunctional policies keep families apart and legal workers out, and costly enforcement strategies terrorize communities, introducing greater chaos into an already broken system. Federal leadership is required to address these failed policies and ensure that our treatment of immigrants is aligned with America's best values and traditions.

NCLR Position

NCLR supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes the following principles: 1) restoring order by getting the 12 million undocumented people in our country to come forward, obtain legal status, learn English, and assume the rights and responsibilities of citizenship while creating smart enforcement policies that uphold national security and the Constitution; 2) cracking down on unscrupulous employers whose practices undermine conditions for all workers; 3) unclogging legal channels to reunite families and allow future workers to come in with the essential rights and protections that safeguard our workforce; and 4) enacting proactive measures to advance the successful integration of new immigrants into our communities.

The Senate acted on immigration reform in 2007, but failed to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill. Failure to enact comprehensive immigration reform has left behind a lopsided and ineffective federal system of enforcement. NCLR will continue to work toward comprehensive immigration reform.

NCLR is engaged in many immigration issues including

For basic facts on immigration, click here. For information on integrating immigrants into American life, click here.