An Open Letter to the DNC and Democratic Candidates: Don’t Look Away from the Immigration Debate

Las Vegas, Nevada – On Tuesday morning, immigrant rights groups delivered a letter to the Democratic National Committee and Democratic candidates denouncing the party’s refusal to discuss immigration in previous debates and calling on candidates to “detail with far greater emphasis how they will confront and overcome the unrestrained xenophobia and domestic human rights crisis unleashed by Donald Trump.”

“We created sanctuary cities to defend against Obama’s deportation policy. Now, as President Trump is threatening to quite literally invade cities shielding immigrants, Democrats need to speak up, first, by acknowledging the mistakes of the past, and second, outlining a new direction going forward. One thing is for certain: If Democrats do not find a way to find their voice on immigration, they will likely lose the election,” said Pablo Alvarado, National Day Laborer Organizing Network Co-Executive Director

The letter reads in part,

As the candidates take the debate stage on Wednesday, the first question that should be asked is this: What lessons have Democrats learned from their failed approach to immigration in the past? Only when this question is answered, can the party have a productive approach about where to go from here.

… Simply put, it is inconceivable that Democrats can succeed in defeating Trump if their candidates are unwilling to talk about immigration.

Read the full letter to the DNC and Democratic candidates here.

The letter was co-signed by groups involved in the construction of the unity policy blueprint, Migrant Justice Platform, including RAICES Texas, the Arriba Las Vegas Workers Center, the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), and Students for Migrant Justice.

#DontLookAway #MigrantJusticePlatform

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