LCDA Immigration Position

The LCDA, operational since 1991, has as one of its mandates the responsibility of taking advocacy positions on issues that directly impact our constituency. No issue in recent years has received more attention than that of immigration from Latin America, nor has there been a greater supply of misinformation influencing public opinion. LCDA wishes to clearly and publicly state its position on the issue of immigration.  LCDA has and will promote a series of core beliefs on the issue of immigration:

1.  LCDA believes that the U. S. has a responsibility to control its borders and to determine who and    

      how many should come through our immigration policy. 

2.  LCDA believes that the immigration system is broken and needs a comprehensive overhaul.

     Priorities under the new system should be family reunification, an expedited path to permanent

     residency for undocumented workers, and a legal, orderly path for immigrants who will come in

     the future to meet the labor needs of the country. 

3.  LCDA believes that all undocumented workers in this country should, once an expedited system is

     operative and available, begin the process of seeking legal status in the United States.  Under the

     current system, this is very difficult because only inadequate legal avenues are available to them to

     attain legalization.

4.  LCDA believes that once a reasonable path to permanent residency is available to immigrant

     workers, those individuals that chose not to pursue legal standing in this country

should be prepared for the consequences of their actions including, but not limited to,  

deportation to the country of origin.

5.   LCDA believes that there must be better and broader understanding of the economic

impact (both positive and negative) of the presence of recent immigrants, and the

undesirable economic and social consequences of wholesale deportation.

6.   LCDA believes that a greater understanding must be developed with respect to the

cultural experiences of recent immigrants and the relationship of these recent experiences

to those of immigrants to this country in prior generations.

7.   LCDA believes that it is important for government at every level to consider the    

unintended consequences of policies aimed at immigration control.  Only Congress

has the power to regulate immigration, and local attempts to affect the issue often

have discriminatory impacts on the U. S.-born population from all communities.

LCDA and other organizations of conscience should remind those that challenge the presence of immigrants coming to the United States today that, with the exception of  Native Americans or members of the African American community who were subjected to forced migration, all that currently reside here have roots in the centuries ­­­­­­­­­of immigration that have already taken place. Immigrants are the very core of what has made this country great.  We oppose unfair and irresponsible legislation whether at the local, state or federal levels.  We are concerned about misconceptions about the impact of immigration and with an absence of productive dialogue about the issues. LCDA must stand and be counted on these issues.  A cornerstone premise in taking this moral position is that LCDA has and will, as we have during the past sixteen years, continue to provide services to all seeking and needing care.