WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bipartisan members of Congress and advocates gathered on Capitol Hill today to urge lasting border and immigration solutions that balance security with compassion.
Speaking during an Alliance for a New Immigration Consensus press conference, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Washington), Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-California), and speakers representing Catholic, Dreamer, agriculture and border perspectives talked about the need for consensus-based solutions.
Also Wednesday, about 400 Hispanic Catholic leaders met with congressional offices to advocate for immigration reforms as part of the “Raíces y Alas” (Roots and Wings) conference convened by the National Catholic Congress of Hispanic Ministry.
The events took place amid the ongoing political debate about the CDC’s pending end of the pandemic-era Title 42 policy.
A record number of border encounters in March, with Title 42 in effect and before the announcement that it would end, demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the policy. A solutions-focused approach would balance lasting border solutions with immigration reforms that offer certainty to Dreamers, agricultural workers and Temporary Protected Status recipients.
“Without question, we need border-management and immigration solutions,” said Laurence Benenson, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the National Immigration Forum. “With the release of the Department of Homeland Security’s border plan on Tuesday, the Biden administration has added some important detail to its post-Title 42 strategy. But the need for legislative reform is stronger than ever. Members of Congress should come together in good faith and reach agreement on immigration reforms.”