Aug 1, 2014 - NATIONAL HISPANIC COALITION URGES "NO" VOTES ON BORDER SUPPLEMENTAL AND ANTI-DREAMER BILLS

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August 1, 2014

National Hispanic Coalition Urges "No" Votes on Border Supplemental and anti-DREAMer Bills

Washington, D.C. -- The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 37 of the nation's preeminent Latino organizations, released the following statement expressing its strong opposition to the revised border supplemental funding and DACA restriction bills that are scheduled to be considered by the full House tonight. As NHLA made clear to Congress in its July 16 letter and reiterated yesterday, NHLA intends to score votes on such legislation as that being considered in the House today.

"The House of Representatives has gone from bad to worse by advancing a wholly inappropriate response to the increased number of children arriving at our southern border from Central America," said Hector Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. "First, the border supplemental funding bill includes twice as much funding to send troops to the border as the version that House leadership had to withdraw from the floor yesterday. As NHLA members have repeatedly stated, placing more armed agents and soldiers along the border to confront children is an exaggerated and politicized response that misses the reality of the refugee crisis and will do nothing to reduce the number of children seeking refuge here.

"Second, the bill restricting further extensions of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program now goes further than yesterday's version by prohibiting renewals of existing DACA applications, which would effectively end the DACA program. Blaming the increased migration of children to the United States on the DACA program is baseless and misplaced. Blocking the ability to grant deferred action to those who have already been in the U.S. for years will not change a situation which has its roots in the violence and instability in Central America."

Established in 1991, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) brings together Hispanic leaders to establish policy priorities that address, and raise public awareness of, the major issues affecting the Latino community and the nation as a whole. For more information, please visit www.nationalhispanicleadership.org and LatinosUnited.org and follow @NHLAgenda.

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