Issue Position: Immigration

Issue Position

Introduction

There are more than 250,000 foreign-born residents living in the 7th Congressional district today. Immigrants make immense contributions to the economic, social, and cultural vibrancy of our communities. However, the cruel, inhumane policies being implemented at the federal level mean that our immigrant brothers and sisters continue to live in fear of profiling, deportation, and separation from family and loved ones. Whether they are indigenous, Afro-Latino, African, Southeast Asian, or Muslim, we must stop the criminalization of these communities and lead from a place of compassion and dignity.

During the nine years I have served on the Boston City Council, I have fought shoulder-to-shoulder with our diverse immigrant communities - not just as an ally, but as an advocate. I have worked to ensure that police focus on protecting immigrant communities, not deporting them; I have helped expand English language learner (ELL) resources for students; and I've worked to prevent diverse residents from being displaced from ethnic neighborhoods like Chinatown.

But now, what progress we have made is under siege. Ever since Donald Trump declared his candidacy for President with a racist rant directed at Mexican migrants, he and his Administration have, in large part, been defined by their intolerance and discrimination against immigrants. From the "Muslim ban" to the decision to end DACA protections and, now, the devastating policy that has led thousands of immigrant children to be separated from their parents - the Administration in Washington has worked, without pretense, to make our country a more hostile place for immigrants.

The actions of Donald Trump and his administration have sparked a profound sense of fear and mistrust in our communities - feelings I experience on a visceral level when talking with immigrants and advocates. It is incumbent upon our elected representatives to create a united, unbending bulwark in defense of our communities; to fight the Trump Administration's horrific policies by every means possible. At the same time, we must acknowledge the foreign policy decisions that fuel the emigration of so many diverse communities, and work side-by-side with immigrants, advocates, and other stakeholders to lift up our communities - to make our public education system more inclusive, create greater economic opportunities for immigrants for whom English isn't a first language, and address issues of sexual and domestic violence in immigrant communities. We must ensure that our efforts are inclusive, intersectional, and respect the many different ethnic identities that make up our vibrant immigrant communities. To prioritize defending immigrant communities or working for their advancement is a false choice - we must do both.

In Congress, I will be a fierce advocate for the rights of immigrants - both documented and undocumented - and will not treat the future of young immigrants or their parents, as a political bargaining chip. We need activist leadership that will help us both resist Donald Trump and make real progress for immigrant communities. Over the long term, we must develop a more humane immigration system, in partnership with the native countries of our nation's diverse immigrant communities. As Vanessa Calderón Rosado wrote in a recent WBUR op-ed, "Having people in our highest offices that have actually experienced trauma and inequality, would bring greater empathy, understanding and urgency for change." In Congress, I will elevate immigrant voices from all corners - immigrants from Central and South America, from Asia, from Africa, members of the Afro-Latino immigrant community, migrants from European countries, and others - to advance policies that will meaningfully support our communities and create greater opportunity for all.

Immigration Priorities

Resisting Cruel Policies and Ending Family Separation

End ICE enforcement and deportation activities. ICE's role in supporting our existing immigration system - including separating families seeking refuge in the United States and conducting indiscriminate deportation raids in our communities - is creating an atmosphere of toxic fear and mistrust in immigrant communities, exacerbated by reports of widespread abuse of migrants at ICE detention facilities. In Congress, I will advocate for an immediate end to funding for ICE's immigration enforcement and deportation activities, while working to re-house non-immigration enforcement activities currently carried out by ICE, including human trafficking investigations.
Uphold Flores and reinstate enforcement priorities. Trump's recent executive order "ending" the Administration's policy of separating parents and children at the border actually sets the stage for the indefinite detainment of families, including children, which would violate existing protections requiring that children not be detained for more than 20 days. And, fundamentally, it was the Administration's decision to prosecute all migrants seeking to cross the border - rather than focusing enforcement on immigrants definitively tied to gang violence or other illegal activity - that led to the current crisis. I would introduce legislation to codify protections for migrant children and direct relevant agencies to focus federal resources on real threats to our communities such as human and drug trafficking versus the Administration's indiscriminate and heartless approach to target immigrants who are contributing members of our communities and cause widespread fear and panic.
Codify protections for asylum seekers. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently announced that immigration judges can no longer consider domestic and gang violence as legitimate grounds for migrants seeking asylum in the United States. This policy represents an unprecedented assault on immigrants seeking safety and security in the United States, especially women and children. Grounded in my experience advocating on behalf of those who are survivors of sexual and domestic violence, and those experiencing trauma as a result of violence, I will work with other members of Congress to pass legislation codifying grounds for seeking asylum, including domestic and gang violence.
Expand access to legal representation for undocumented immigrants, including for those detained and/or asylum seekers. When immigrants are detained, they enter an immensely complex and bureaucratic system, often without any (or very limited) familiarity with the culture and the language. To expect immigrants to effectively advocate for themselves and their families in this system is abhorrent. However, very often, immigrants are denied access to qualified legal representation and its availability varies from court to court. In a 2016 special report, the American Immigration Council found that, nationally, only about 37 percent of all immigrants have access to legal representation, and those detained are the least likely to get access to legal representation - just 14 percent. Efforts are underway at the local level to provide immigrants with legal counsel, including the Greater Boston Immigrant Defense Fund, which has raised more than $1 million to support legal representation for immigrants, and the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project, which uses City Council funding to provide free legal services for immigrants. In Congress, I will work with advocates to identify strategies for extending the right to representation to all immigrants, free of charge.
Prevent funding for a border wall. Let me be clear - the idea that funding for Trump's proposed border wall is the necessary price for extending protections for DREAMers is false. We should not allow these young people or their parents to be used as political bargaining chips. I will fight any proposal that seeks to link protections for DREAMers with funding for the construction of a border wall and, more generally, will oppose any independent funding for a new border wall, which promises to deliver no greater security and cost billions that could be better spent on education, health care, transportation, or a host of other priorities.
Increase support for migrant populations in their home countries. Thoughtful immigration policy does not begin once immigrants reach our borders. In many cases, immigrants coming to the United States are doing so because they have been forced to migrate from their home countries due to fears of political unrest, poverty, persecution, or violence. The United States has the resources and power to help improve conditions in countries that comprise the majority of forced migration; however, our funding for foreign aid continues to account for only a tiny fraction of our federal budget, and, under the Trump Administration, our foreign policy has become increasingly isolationist. I will advocate for greater foreign aid funding, targeted to support vulnerable populations, and renewed American leadership on the global stage.
Maintaining and Building on Existing Protections

Pass a clean DREAM Act. Last September, President Trump announced his cruel and short-sighted termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Today, 800,000 young people who were brought here as children are still uncertain what their future holds in the only country they've ever called home. Congress must act to permanently end the fear and uncertainty DREAMers live with every day, and I will advocate for the passage of a clean DREAM Act - not tied to greater funding for enforcement or the construction of a border wall - along with a path to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants.
Create a pathway to Permanent Residency for TPS holders from Haiti, Honduras, and El Salvador. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a humanitarian program, and it is deeply troubling and bigoted for the Trump Administration to end protections for TPS holders in Massachusetts and across the country. I was proud to rally with Centro Presente and state immigration activists outside the State House to resist this cruel action. The 7th District has more than 12,000 TPS holders who came here to escape dangerous conditions in their home countries. If they are deported Massachusetts's economy would lose an estimated $646 million per year. If elected to Congress, I will push to put all TPS holders on a path to citizenship.
Putting undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship. We are a country founded by and made great by immigrants. Rather than demonizing immigrants, like President Trump and the Republicans have been doing, we should be working together on fair and comprehensive immigration reform to help the 11 million undocumented residents in this country. I support comprehensive reforms that will enable law-abiding immigrants to seek a path to citizenship. I also believe we must increase the number of visas available for skilled workers. Studies have shown that this type of comprehensive reform would create nearly 1 million jobs, and reduce the deficit by billions of dollars due to increased tax revenues. Most importantly, it is the right and humane thing to do for our immigrant brothers and sisters.
Lift Up Immigrant Communities

Collect accurate data on diverse communities. Currently, much of the educational and economic data collection done at the local, state, and federal level reports findings broken out according to federal "racial and ethnic categories," which include: American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and White. Ethnic categories include only "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino." Too often, however, relying on these categories makes certain subgroups - including multi-racial and multi-ethnic communities such as Cape Verdeans, Haitians, and Dominicans - invisible for reporting purposes. I will advocate for revised federal guidelines that will mandate that states and municipalities more accurately report data that reflect their diverse populations by including more specific racial and ethnic descriptions (e.g. language spoken at home, family country of origin) in data collection activities to federal government agencies.
File legislation to ban the Census from asking about citizenship. I am proud to be leading a group of more than 20 national candidates and organizations pledging action to ban the census from asking respondents if they are U.S. citizens. Asking about citizenship status threatens the civil rights of immigrants and has the potential to undermine efforts to equalize resource distribution among communities. If elected to Congress, I will introduce legislation to ban the Department of Commerce - which oversees the census - from including the citizenship question in any and all future censuses.
Expanding resources for English Language Learners in schools. I will fight for our schools to receive more federal resources to expand classes for English Language Learners inside and outside the classroom. These children make up one-third of all students in the district, and are 20 percent less likely to graduate than their peers. This is largely due to inadequate supports to assist students trying to overcome language and cultural barriers. To close persistent achievement gaps, I will also fight for universal access to high-quality early education and Pre-K for low income families, and to increase Title 1 funds to district schools, which helps our diverse children meet academic standards.
Protect opportunities for immigrant entrepreneurs. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently took initial action to eliminate President Obama's International Entrepreneur Rule (IER), a program designed to make it easier for startup founders from around the world to build companies and create jobs in the United States. Immigrants have helped start as many as 25 percent of all small businesses and high-tech startups across America and keeping the International Entrepreneur Rule could create approximately 300,000 new jobs over the next ten years. Many of these jobs would be in our immigrant-rich 7th Congressional District. I join the New England Venture Capital Association, and many others, in fighting to protect the IER.
End Massachusetts shameful designation as "Worst State for Latinos'. Massachusetts was recently ranked as the "Worst State for Hispanics and Latinos,' according to a study published in USA Today. According to the report, Latino families make less than half of what white families make, and Massachusetts has the worst poverty, income, education, unemployment and incarceration inequality for Latino residents. In Congress, I will work to change this shameful designation; pushing for federal policies that protect workers, increase educational opportunities, and boost lending and contracting for Latino-owned businesses. I was proud to receive the endorsement of UNITE Here Local 26, the 10,000 member Boston-area hotel and food workers union, and I look forward to continuing my advocacy on behalf of Latinos and all workers.
Ensure that immigrant and long-term residents are not displaced from ethnic neighborhoods. On the City Council I have opposed rapid gentrification and development, have helped pass the Community Preservation Act and affordable housing to allow people to stay in their homes, and have worked to lift-up historically ethnic neighborhoods. For example, in Chinatown, I have worked with the Chinese Progressive Association and the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center to create jobs and make the re-opening of the Boston Public Library Chinatown Branch a reality. In Congress, I will continue this activist approach to preserve affordable housing stock in our communities and identify more funding for cultural and community development projects.
Support expanded resources for the resettlement and integration of refugees, including unaccompanied children and youth. President Trump's bigoted ban on refugees coming from many Muslim countries, and other restrictive policies, have resulted in U.S. refugee admission dropping from over 110,000 per year under President Obama, to just 45,000 projected for this year. Massachusetts has also experienced a dramatic drop in refugees. I support the platform of MIRA and The We Are All America Coalition to protect refugees, uphold human rights and restore core American values. The platform includes actions on multiple levels to support refugees and protect asylum seekers.

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