Latinas Respond to Republican Standards for Immigration Reform

Today, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives released Standards for Immigration Reform, outlining principles for Congressional reform of our nation’s immigration laws. The Standards set forth a punitive, arduous path to legal status for currently undocumented immigrants, with no clear roadmap to citizenship. The Standards also stipulate that arbitrary “enforcement triggers” be met before legal status is granted, and calls for “zero tolerance” border and interior enforcement policies. While welcoming the House Republican leadership’s engagement in advancing immigration reform, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) expressed concern that the Standards do not advance the full rights and responsibilities of citizenship for the 11 million, would disadvantage women and families, and would further escalate the harmful militarization of border communities.
Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of NLIRH issued the below statement:
“For far too long, immigrant women have suffered an unfair share of the burdens of our nation’s flawed immigration policies and practices. While we welcome House Republicans’ acknowledgement that Congress must reform our nation’s immigration laws, we are deeply concerned that these Standards would deny the basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship to millions of immigrant women and families. We also know, from talking to immigrant women themselves, that so-called “zero tolerance” border and enforcement policies undermine the health and safety of women and their families. Finally, the visa policies proposed tilt unfairly against women, who are less likely to have opportunities in “high skilled” professions in their countries of origin. We urge Congress to advance solutions that embrace the contributions of immigrants, improve legal channels to migration for women and families, and advance smart enforcement policies that protect the civil and human rights of all. Immigration reform must enable immigrant women and their families to be healthy, successful, contributing members of their communities with the full rights and responsibilities of citizenship.” 
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The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is the only national organization working on behalf of the reproductive health and justice of the 24 million Latinas, their families and communities in the United States through public education, community mobilization and policy advocacy.