CAPAC Hosts Immigration Meetings with Senior White House and Department of Homeland Security Officials

CAPAC Hosts Immigration Meetings with Senior White House and Department of Homeland Security Officials

Washington, DC – Yesterday, Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) met with senior White House aides Cecilia Muñoz and Neil Eggleston to discuss pertinent immigration issues affecting the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The meeting occurred one day after the Caucus met with Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to discuss their recommendations regarding executive action for immigration reform. CAPAC leaders released the following statements:

 

Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27), CAPAC Chair:

 

“Our meetings with the White House and the Department of Homeland Security were candid and productive. While we are disappointed by the President’s decision to delay administrative actions to improve our immigration system, we strongly believe that the Administration will live up to its promise and do as much as it can within the confines of our law to alleviate the pain immigrant families are feeling every day.

 

“Immigration reform is an issue of great significance to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. In fact, Asians and Pacific Islanders comprise over 40 percent of the 4.2 million individuals caught in our current family immigration visa backlogs and over 80 percent of those in the employer-based visa backlogs. We also account for approximately 11 percent of the undocumented population in the U.S.

 

“Bold action by the President would have a tremendous impact on the AAPI population, and I am grateful that CAPAC was able to reiterate our immigration priorities with senior administration officials. Given the glaring problems with our immigration system, which continues to separate families and deny opportunities to aspiring Americans, we continue to urge the Administration to move swiftly in taking action before the end of the year.”

 

Congressman Mike Honda (CA-17), CAPAC Chair Emeritus and Immigration Taskforce Co-Chair:

 

“As Chair of CAPAC’s Immigration Taskforce, I appreciate the opportunity we had to speak directly with those who will advise and counsel the President on much-needed administrative relief. It was important to give a voice to over 2 million AAPI families who are caught in the family visa backlog and unable to reunify.  I also appreciated the opportunity to raise the immediate need to designate full Temporary Protected Status to the Philippines. This is a priority issue, and it is simply the right thing to do. I am confident that our meetings conveyed the urgency our communities feel about this issue. Our discussion of CAPAC’s recommendations, including prosecutorial discretion, expanding DACA relief, and alleviating the backlog through humanitarian parole, were received well by the executive officials, but listening is not enough. The President must commit to action. I look forward to working with the White House, and my CAPAC colleagues, on ensuring that the needs of the AAPI community are not set aside in any conversation about immigration reform.”

 

Background:

 

Earlier this year, CAPAC met with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and shared several recommendations for affirmative relief and executive actions. In August 2014, CAPAC sent letters to both President Obama and Secretary Johnson with an updated list of recommendations focused on provisions that prioritize family unity. A copy of these recommendations can be found here.