The National Immigration Forum favors workable, cost-conscious approaches to immigration enforcement that balance strict enforcement of laws with fair treatment of immigrants in connection with commonsense immigration reform. Balanced immigration enforcement can help ensure the safety of our communities, strengthen our national borders, encourage respect for the rule of law, build trust and cooperation within our communities, and assure that our immigration laws and practices are clear, consistent and workable.
Immigrant detention practices must be fair and humane. Smart immigration policy would make use of successful and cost-effective alternatives to detention, moving away from costly and ineffective mass incarceration of undocumented individuals who pose no danger to the public.
The Forum opposes efforts to shift immigration enforcement responsibilities to state and local law enforcement agencies, instead believing that federal authorities should lead the way in carrying out a coherent, effective immigration policy at the national level. The Forum also opposes calls to deport all eleven million-plus undocumented immigrants currently in the United States. The moral and economic costs of a mass-deportation policy are unacceptable.