In 2008 the National Board of the LWV announced its position on Immigration. Today more than ever, the League continues to stand behind policies that promote the humane and just treatment of individuals already in the country as well as those seeking entry. Emphasis is placed on reuniting families, meeting the economic, business and employment needs of the United States, as well as helping those seeking to escape political persecution or humanitarian crises.
Read LWVUS Immigration Policy here. (pdf; will open in a new window)
Several Immigration Team members read the book “Dear America” by Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who spoke in October at a Pisgah Legal Service event in Asheville. We recommend it for those looking to understand the perspective of an undocumented citizen. Here is a book review written by Immigration Team member Aloha Smith. (pdf; will open in a new window)
Watch this compelling 7-minute NPR report from October 2019 on the difficulties facing DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) students with an uncertain future. The League of Women Voters supports a path to citizenship for DACA students.
Latinos are opening more small businesses than anyone else. Despite the opportunity gap between Latinos and other Americans, Latinos have become the fastest-growing small business owners across the U.S. Read here: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2020/02/24/latino-small-business-owners-becoming-economic-force-us/4748786002/
See more about the Immigration Team on the Committees page. If you are interested in becoming part of the Immigration Team, contact the Team Chair via email.
Brochure: Applying for Citizenship
Open the PDF file Here (PDF file will open in new window)
League Statement on Immigration
https://www.lwv.org/newsroom/press-releases/league-statement-immigration
Resources List for LatinX and Other Migrant Families in Henderson County
Resources List (PDF file will open in new window)
Special Report by the American Immigration Council: Beyond A Border Solution: How to Build a Humanitarian Protection System That Won’t Break
Detention by the numbers — Where are people detained in the United States?
https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/detention-statistics/
Warehoused And Forgotten: Immigrants Trapped in our Shadow Private Prison System
https://www.aclu.org/other/warehoused-and-forgotten-immigrants-trapped-our-shadow-private-prison-system
Slavery gave America a fear of black people and a taste for violent punishment. Both still define our criminal-justice system.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/prison-industrial-complex-slavery-racism.html
'These people are profitable': Under Trump, private prisons are cashing in on ICE detainees
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/nation/2019/12/19/ice-detention-private-prisons-expands-under-trump-administration/4393366002/
Glossary of Immigration Terms
https://www.freedomforimmigrants.org/terminology
US held record number of migrant children in custody in 2019
https://apnews.com/015702afdb4d4fbf85cf5070cd2c6824
