Multiple migrant groups across the country are ramping up advocacy efforts as anti-immigrant sentiment continues to rise during a contentious election year.
Grassroot days of action in support of migrants are scheduled across the country in California, Tennessee and Massachusetts, with the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s (AILA) National Day of Action set for Thursday. AILA has more than 16,000 members in about 39 chapters throughout the U.S. The theme this year is “Fueling Prosperity for a Stronger America.”
Sofia Rosales-Zeledon, a grassroots advocacy associate at AILA, leads the National Day of Action. She said 300 members will advocate on behalf of their clients in D.C. for immigrant and refugee rights.
“Immigration is at the forefront of all conversations right now, and we have solutions to propose,” she said. “It’s just a matter of having them listen to our experts’ recommendations and solutions.”
There have been unprecedented levels of migration around the world, with migrant encounters at the U.S. southern border reaching historic levels late last year. Current policies and regulations have formed a barrier to asylum “in violation of long-established United States and international refugee norms,” according to AILA.
Congress has been mulling over a bipartisan bill that would change credible fear standards and possibly cap asylum in exchange for aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. A person seeking asylum or who expresses concerns about persecution in their home country for their race, religion and ideologies is subject to an interview screening to determine eligibility, but proposed legislation could raise those standards by taking into consideration the person’s criminal history, how long they have safely lived in their homelands and whether they can relocate.
Among AILA’s recommendations are legislation to ensure efficient and humane processing at the southern border by increasing resources at immigration agencies to allow…
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