Create a Fair and Welcoming Immigration System

“Immigration doesn’t make us weaker as a country, it makes us stronger” – Elizabeth Warren

Download the Create a Fair and Welcoming Immigration System one-pager

WHAT THIS PLAN IS ABOUT

Donald Trump wants to divide us—to pit worker against worker, neighbor against neighbor. He wants Americans to blame their troubles on those who are new to our country, or who don’t look the same, even as his administration robs us dry.

We can and must be better than this.

Immigrants have always been a vital source of American strength. They grow our economy and make our communities richer and more diverse. Immigrants are our neighbors, our colleagues, and our friends — and every bit as much a part of America as those who were born in the United States. That’s why Elizabeth has a plan to create a fair immigration system that keeps families together, preserves our security, grows our economy, and reflects our values.

Here’s what her plan would do:

  • Decriminalize migration and create accountability for the abuses perpetrated during the Trump era against immigrants and people seeking asylum;
  • Separate law enforcement from immigration enforcement and eliminate private detention facilities that are profiting off of cruelty;
  • Reject exclusionary policies based on race, religion, and nationality, including by reversing Trump’s bigoted Muslim Ban on the very first day;
  • Affirm asylum protections for the most vulnerable and raise the refugee cap;
  • End unnecessary detention by refocusing our enforcement on serious criminal activity;
  • Expand legal immigration, reduce the family reunification backlog to reunite millions of families, and make it easier for those eligible for citizenship to naturalize; and also
  • Protect our Dreamers and extend deferred action protections to their families and their communities, and fight for a fair and achievable pathway to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented individuals currently living and working in the Unites States.

But, we cannot fully address migration until we also address its root causes. Now more than ever, the United States must reclaim its role as the world’s beacon of hope — and that means proposing bold and nuanced solutions to these complex challenges.

That’s why the plan also includes:

  • Restoring and increasing aid to the Northern Triangle countries while rallying the international community to match those funds; and
  • Informing and protecting those seeking refuge to prevent vulnerable people from being exploited and harmed.

WHY IT’S NEEDED

We must address the humanitarian mess at the border caused by this Donald Trump’s discriminatory policies, but that won’t be nearly enough to fix our immigration system. We need expanded legal immigration that will grow our economy, reunite families, and meet our labor market demands. We need real reform that provides cost-effective security at our borders, addresses the root causes of migration, and provides a path to status and citizenship so that our neighbors don’t have to live in fear.

Together, we can create a rules-based system that is fair, humane, and that reflects our values.

Want more? Read Elizabeth’s full plan here.

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