For Immediate Release
November 24, 2015
Contact: SG Sarmiento, sgsarmiento@ndlon.org
NDLON REACTION to Sanders’ Immigration Plan
Los Angeles, CA—In response to presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ immigration plan, Pablo Alvarado, Executive Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) issued the following statement:
“We look forward to studying the details, but it is frankly a welcome sign that there are so many details to analyze. The depth of proposals contained in the platform, both for administrative and legislative reform, are befitting of a candidate who is taking seriously the urgency and complexity of the situation facing immigrant workers and the country. Upon an initial reading, a couple of things jump out:
“First, we applaud Senator Sanders’ legalization-first approach. His promise to maximize use of executive branch authority immediately will help advance political equality for immigrants. Administrative reform should not be conditioned on Congressional inaction or a wait-and-see approach with the courts. Legislative reform has been held hostage for over a decade by xenophobes in Congress. Providing status for all who would have qualified for the 2013 bill is the least that we expect from the next president.
“Second, it is excellent that the plan is rooted in principles of economic justice that align the interests of immigrant and native born workers. In particular, the idea of giving whistleblower visas to immigrants who report labor violations is long overdue. This basic step will empower immigrant workers to step forward, it will take away the unfair advantage gained by predatory employers, and it will benefit everyone working in the US economy.
“Third, the Sanders platform broadly recognizes that too many people are profiting from the preservation of the status quo. Part of the reason why we aren’t making progress on immigration reform as a country is because demagogue politicians profit politically by scapegoating immigrants during elections, predatory employers profit by exploiting immigrants, a massive bureaucracy at DHS profits from bloated budgets, and commercial companies are now profiting from imprisonment of refugee families.
“And Democrats have historically profited too. It is unacceptable for Democrats to simply sit back and profit politically from the Trump Effect on the Republican primary by claiming that they are in favor of Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Senator Sanders has put forth a serious plan that deserves attention, scrutiny, and debate. We call upon all candidates for President to match Senator Sanders’ level of detail. Indeed, we are hopeful that many of the proposals contained in the platform will be enacted by the Obama Administration immediately.”
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