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HNBA: President Trump’s Immigration Proposal Divides America


WASHINGTON, DC -- The National President of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA), Erica V. Mason, released the following statement in response to President Trump’s recently released immigration framework, which includes a provision addressing the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“The HNBA strongly opposes the immigration reform framework President Trump set forth during his State of the Union address. Simply put, the relief that this proposal affords DACA recipients and others brought to this country as young children comes at too great of an expense of other classes of immigrants and prospective immigrants, undermines our economy, and further chips away at the long-held value that America has placed on the sanctity of family.

“In viewing this proposal, I am reminded of the failed and misguided Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the Immigration Act of 1924, which included the Asian Exclusion Act. These laws severely restricted or outright banned immigration by individuals from Asian, Middle Eastern and African countries, Italians, and Eastern European Jews; and were passed by Congress due to widespread, unfounded fear of job-stealing immigrants and political radicals, and the desire to put an end to an era of so-called ‘open borders’ and ‘preserve the ideal of American [racial] homoegenity.' It is no secret that the framers of this new proposal seek to return to this dark era of our country’s immigration policy to which no patriotic American should want to return.

“Most concerning are the components of the proposal that will dramatically reduce legal immigration by an estimated 44 percent, blanket bans on U.S. citizens sponsoring their siblings, parents and adult children, and ending the diversity visa program. These measures would impact the entrance of nearly 4 million individuals domestically and abroad who are awaiting approval of their applications for legal entry into the United States.

“In addition to the questionable intentions behind such measures, such drastic reductions in legal immigration will have the effect of cutting off America’s economic nose to spite her face by reducing our economic growth rate by an estimated 12.5 percent from its current projected level, and more in future years when our economy must rely more heavily on immigrants to sustain our aging labor force. Surely the greatest gift that we can give to our foreign competitors is to return or not allow entry to industrious, innovative, hard-working individuals who will surely be great contributors to the economic engine of whichever country they call home.

“We agree with our President that it is time to ‘set aside our differences’ and focus on what can realistically become law. Nearly everyone involved agrees that DREAMers should be given a chance to continue contributing to this great nation, as they always have. Let’s start there.”

Posted by Latino Lubbock Magazine Digital Media

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