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Dear John,
Today, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, our Policy Director, testified before Congress [[link removed]] to explain the positive economic contributions of immigrants in the U.S. and the ongoing challenge that the U.S. faces addressing the underfunded and outdated humanitarian protection system. He emphasized that the Council’s research shows that immigrants of all statuses contribute significantly to the United States, and that the challenge we face today is how to eliminate unnecessary and counterproductive legal barriers that are keeping migrants from contributing and becoming self-sufficient.
Rather than focus only on temporary reductions of the number of people crossing the border or stop-gap solutions for work authorization, Congress needs to address the longstanding shortfalls of the system and build fiscally sustainable solutions. Over the last 20 years, the United States has poured over $200 billion dollars into immigration enforcement, compared to under $9 billion for immigration courts. We need to fix this mismatch and build a modern humanitarian protection system that is fair, flexible, robust, and which unlocks the powerful benefits brought by immigrants of all stripes.
Watch the Testimony » [[link removed]]
The testimony emphasizes that:
The positive economic impact of all immigrants, including refugees, undocumented immigrants, TPS beneficiaries, and their families.
The need for a faster way for immigrants to access work authorization so that they can join the workforce and support themselves quickly.
The ways in which our 20th century asylum system act as a barrier to migrant self-sufficiency.
Mismatched spending priorities, which neglect immigration adjudication in favor of immigration enforcement, have created extensive backlogs.
The testimony concludes that Congress' failure to provide adequate resources to our humanitarian adjudication systems and to support local communities has impeded economic growth and imposed unnecessary fiscal costs.
Ultimately, Congress has the power to change the situation at the border by updating our immigration laws and providing the necessary resources to fund a modern humanitarian protection system.
We encourage you to read our recent blueprint for solutions at the border: “ Beyond A Border Solution: How to Build a Humanitarian Protection System That Won’t Break [[link removed]] ,” which includes 13 recommendations for the administration and Congress.
We look forward to continuing to provide research and educate Congress on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Robbins
Executive Director
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