My dream for immigration reform
I believe that America needs to restore the right to Due Process. Our American human rights values have been undermined by the horrible 1996 immigration laws that resulted in mandatory detention, deportation of millions of lawful residents, lack of due process, and a denial of a fair day in court.
Families have been broken apart, communities have been damaged, and children have been abandoned when parents are detained and deported. The family separation issue is nothing new — it just makes better news stories when it is the children who are in the cages.
Congress needs to restore the American Dream, by restoring due process and a pathway to legal status for those who are undocumented here in the U.S. We need to restore judicial discretion; support fair alternatives to detention and reasonable release policies, and make sure that conditions of detention are humane and respectful, not punitive.
Millions of people have been deported since 1996 and the harsh changes in the immigration law. I believe that immigrants deserve the same rights as citizens — the right to due process, and I ask each of you to encourage every citizen you know to think about the effects of our current, harsh immigration system on our communities and plan to vote for candidates who will restore justice to this system.
