National Council of La Raza: Topics

Immigration

Immigration Related Content Related Publications (44) Related News Items (345) Related Events (5) Related FAQs (4) Related Viewpoints (120)

The face of America has always had immigrant features and is therefore constantly changing. The way we treat immigrants and approach their integration into U.S. society holds important implications for the future progress of the country.

Federal leadership is required to address the inconsistencies of current policies and to ensure that our treatment of immigrants is aligned with America's best values and traditions. NCLR's immigration policy agenda supports a workable and humane immigration system that restores the rule of law and protects workers and families, measures that protect civil rights and due process and keep the nation safe, and integration strategies that help immigrants become fully participating and contributing Americans.

NCLR is engaged in many immigration issues including Comprehensive Immigration Reform, state and local police enforcement of immigration laws, the DREAM Act, AgJOBS, driver’s license access for immigrants, and post 9-11 civil liberties.

For basic facts on immigration, click here. For information on integrating immigrants into American life, click here.

Below you will find a list of speeches related to Immigration given by Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

Related Programs

Letter to the President - Latino Organizations Urge Leadership and Action on Immigration Reform: NCLR joined 23 Latino organizations in a letter to the president urging leadership and action on immigration reform this year.
Picnics, Potlucks, and the Promise of America: Families United for Immigration Reform (July 4–11, 2009): Learn more about the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) Fourth of July campaign, “Picnics, Potlucks, and the Promise of America: Families United for Immigration Reform.” This nationwide effort you will allow you to bring people together to celebrate our nation’s history and honor the American experience. As a nation, we value innovative solutions to big problems. As a community, we must take this opportunity to call President Obama and all of our elected officials and urge them to pass a workable common-sense solution to the nation’s broken immigration system.
Immigration In-District Visits: Thank you for participating in “Families United Congressional Visits,” a coast-to-coast effort where hundreds of grassroots leaders will meet with their members of Congress during the April Congressional recess (April 4–April 19) to keep families united and push the passage of comprehensive immigration reform in 2009.

Related Policies

Federal Policies

Naturalization: Much like in past historical periods, today’s immigrants express and demonstrate a desire to take the final step towards becoming part of our nation by obtaining citizenship.
Post 9/11 Civil Liberties: Like all Americans, Latinos support measures that strengthen and protect national security. However, over the past several years, efforts to thwart potential terrorist attacks and the development of policies to identify individuals who pose a threat to our nation have alienated and marginalized segments of the Latino community, and immigrant populations as a whole, with little evidence that these steps are effective. In particular, immigration and national security are now intermingled in the U.S. in unprecedented ways, and immigrants – or those perceived to be immigrants – have taken the brunt of many new policies intended to increase national security.
DREAM Act: The “DREAM Act” is federal legislation that would facilitate state efforts to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students and provide certain students with a path to U.S. citizenship.
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: The U.S. immigration system is in urgent need of reform that restores dignity and the rule of law and rejects the status quo, which does neither. NCLR's immigration policy agenda supports a workable and humane immigration system that restores the rule of law and protects workers and families, measures that protect civil rights and keep the nation safe, and integration strategies that help immigrants become fully participating and contributing Americans. At the core of this discussion should be the realization that the success of immigrants is intrinsically linked to the future success of the nation as a whole.
Integrating Immigrants into American Life: The work of NCLR and its affiliates on behalf of immigrants builds on America's identity as a nation of immigrants by promoting fairness in the law and advancing a number of ways to help immigrants fully enter the mainstream of American life. NCLR and its affiliates are on the front lines of carrying out the work that has always been essential to America's success as a nation, ensuring full respect for the contributions of immigrants and full access to the American Dream.

State Policies

State and Local Immigration Initiatives: With the failure of the federal government to pass comprehensive immigration reform, states and localities are playing a more prominent role in immigration regulation.
State/Local Police Enforcement of Immigration Laws (CLEAR Act): There have been several attempts to involve state and local police in the enforcement of federal civil immigration laws. While the safety and security of our communities and our country are of the utmost importance, new policies that would allow local police departments to enforce federal civil immigration law will hinder terrorist and other criminal investigations, and have a serious negative impact on Latino communities.
Driver's Licenses: In recent years there has been much legislation and other activity in the states which impose harsh restrictions specifically on immigrants’ access to state-issued driver’s licenses and identification documents. More recently, the REAL ID Act passed which imposes federal standards on state-issued driver's licenses. NCLR believes that a state-issued DL should be reliable proof of an individual’s identity and proof of authorization to drive a motor vehicle; it should not be tied to an individual’s immigration status.