Washington, D.C. Today, the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 37 of the nation’s preeminent Latino organizations, responded to President Barack Obama’s remarks on House Republican leadership's unwillingness to bring immigration reform up for an up-or-down vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. The coalition welcomes the President’s use of executive authority to fix what he can in our broken immigration system and welcomes the opportunity to work with his Administration as it seeks to provide long-awaited relief to families and hard-working immigrants.

Understanding that executive action alone is not a substitute for a legislative fix, NHLA will continue to press Members of the House of Representatives -- especially those representing our 30 target congressional districts -- to vote on a permanent legislative solution. Through its Latinos United for Immigration Reform campaign NHLA was active in urging the Senate to pass a bipartisan immigration reform bill one year ago, on June 27th, and has been working with Members from both sides of the aisle to urge the U.S. House of Representatives to do the same. As noted in our recently released report on deportations, the confluence of legislative inaction coupled with aggressive deportations has had a particularly pronounced impact on the Latino community and it is time for both the President and Congress to act.

Furthermore, NHLA believes that Congress should not use the recent humanitarian crisis -- seen in the influx of vulnerable, unaccompanied youth at the border -- as an excuse not to act. The influx of youth is evidence of deeper-rooted international challenges specific to the violence-stricken countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.

To respond to the President’s immigration statement and to reiterate to Members of Congress that they too must move forward in bringing about real solutions, NHLA leaders issued the following remarks:

“We look forward to working with the President and offering our advice and counsel as his Administration moves forward with executive action to provide relief from the dysfunctional and unjust immigration system,” said Hector E. Sanchez, NHLA Chair and Executive Director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement. “We also reiterate our call for Speaker Boehner to bring a bill to the floor and allow for an up or down vote to help provide a longer-term fix to the immigration issue. We cannot let a gridlocked Congress stop common-sense legislation from passing. There are enough votes to pass a comprehensive immigration reform bill – we just need the House to schedule a vote.”

“Now that the House leadership has once again turned its back on the Latino community and the problem of our broken immigration system, President Obama must act decisively to offer relief to millions of immigrants who are suffering in the shadows,” stated Jose Calderon, President of the Hispanic Federation. “The President not only has the executive authority to do so but the moral and social imperative to act.”

"While the President's commitment to use the authority that he and his predecessors have exercised for many years is encouraging, this not a time for further study and review, but a time for action," stated Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel of MALDEF. "The results of the ongoing experiment in overly aggressive enforcement of fatally-flawed immigration laws are already in: broad devastation of communities and families nationwide. We urge the President and Secretary to take necessary action to ensure that we turn to a nationwide and uniform policy of discretion and relief for peaceful migrants who have been harmed by the many defects in our immigration policies. At the same time, we urge communities to act to secure a Congress that reflects the views of the nation in appreciating and responding to the urgency of needed reform; our country can no longer afford a legislature that capitulates to the fears and fecklessness of an increasingly narrow slice of America."

“We thank President Obama for committing to use his administrative authority to provide relief to immigrant families torn apart by our broken immigration system,” stated Brent Wilkes, LULAC National Executive Director. “Ultimately, however, Congress must act to ensure our immigration laws work in the best interests of our county and those who seek to become Americans and contribute to our nation.”

“We are deeply disappointed that the House of Representatives leadership has announced that it will not move forward with immigration reform this year,” said Antonio R. Flores, President and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). “The recent flood of children and young people points to a humanitarian crisis we cannot afford to ignore. It underlines the importance of fixing an immigration system virtually everyone acknowledges is broken. Failing to address the ‘pull’ of economic and social opportunity in the United States is compounded by the failure of our Latin American foreign policy to address the ‘push’ of continuing poverty and violence in some of our Western Hemisphere neighbors. HACU looks forward to hearing more details about the President’s plan to deal with these issues. We will continue to work with both sides of the aisle and the Administration to develop a more just and fair immigration system that includes DREAM Act provisions to assure the fullest opportunity for young people already long in our midst.”

“We applaud the President’s resolve to move forward with much needed administrative relief for this humanitarian crisis,” said Jessica González-Rojas, Executive Director at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. “Immigrant women are the backbones of our communities, and yet families continue to be torn apart by needless and devastating detention and deportation. We urge the President and Congress to do everything in their power to address both the immediate and long-term need to reform our immigration policies and practices.”

“NALEO is deeply dismayed that the House of Representatives will not act on comprehensive immigration reform this year,” said Arturo Vargas executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO). “Only legislation can provide a permanent fix to our broken immigration system. Passing a commonsense immigration reform bill would integrate immigrants into our nation’s civic life and provide a pathway to citizenship, unite families and strengthen our borders, grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades. Given the absence of legislative action, NALEO looks forward to learning what actions the President determines he can take within his legal authority to provide interim relief to our broken immigration system.”

“This is the moment for President Obama to do what is right, to stop deportations and to protect vulnerable children and families,” said Oscar Chacón, Executive Director of the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC). “As we have known for many months, the US Congress has no plans to move forward on immigration reform. Meanwhile, with every passing day, families are divided, children are left without parents, and hundreds of people are deported to situations of violence and uncertainty. The President has the opportunity to make good on a long-delayed promise to immigrant communities. If he takes up the challenge, it will be a watershed moment in the struggle for immigrants’ rights in this country. We have been calling on President Obama for months to use the “Power of the Pen” to stop deportations. NALACC members will be watching carefully as the President releases the details of his strategy. With his actions in the coming days, President Obama has an unprecedented opportunity to reset the national and regional conversation on immigration policy. In light of the humanitarian crisis of children in detention on the border, this conversation should go beyond our national borders to develop a humane and common sense approach to human mobility. The obligations of the United States to protect vulnerable children go above and beyond the immigration reform debate, and cannot be traded for the administrative relief that the President and the country know to be the morally correct next step. Immigrant communities must remain alert and ready to continue advocating for wise and humane policy solutions to our nation’s challenges, including how we treat immigrants, irrespective of immigration status.”

“The USHCC commends President Obama for his remarks today, who recognized the moral and economic imperative for passing comprehensive immigration reform,” said United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Javier Palomarez. “Our association is disappointed by those who refuse to act on immigration because of their disapproval of President Obama’s use of executive orders, a constitutional authority that previous presidents have used. We share the President’s – and the American public’s – frustration with Congress, and call on the House of Representatives to vote on the Senate bill that passed over a year ago, or advance a sensible alternative. In the coming days, the USHCC will work to bridge the divide between the administration and Congress to take necessary action. The evidence and support for immigration reform is overwhelming and immutable. Leaders of major U.S. brands such as AT&T, Coca-Cola, Facebook, McDonalds, and Verizon recognize the surge in economic growth, innovation, and job creation that a comprehensive bill would unleash. Moreover, our economic study with the George W. Bush Institute shows that passing immigration reform would shrink the national deficit, help alleviate our social security concerns, and grow the economy by an additional 4 percent every year. While the economic benefits of passing comprehensive immigration reform are clear, the justification for why Congress has failed to pass bipartisan legislation is not. Our association, as well as a majority of the American public, knows that this is an issue worth fighting for and we will continue advocating for the economic opportunities that would result from signing a comprehensive bill into law.”

“Farmworker Justice commends the President’s commitment to take administrative action to reform our broken immigration system. Hundreds of thousands of farmworkers who labor to put food on our tables suffer each day because they are unable to secure authorized immigration status,” said Bruce Goldstein, President of Farmworker Justice. "We urge President Obama to act boldly and to provide affirmative relief for undocumented farmworkers and other undocumented immigrants with strong ties to the U.S. The refusal of the Speaker to bring comprehensive immigration reform to a vote hurts farmworkers, farm operators, our food system and our country. While it is now critical that the President take action, only comprehensive legislation will truly fix our immigration system. Speaker Boehner’s inaction is irresponsible and inhumane. Once again he has chosen to put politics over the needs of workers and our economy.”

“We applaud the President’s commitment to review current policies and we urge his administration to implement a more humanitarian approach to immigration enforcement efforts,” said Patti Tototzintle, CEO of Casa de Esperanza: National Latin@ Network. “Nonetheless, it is imperative that Congress work in a bipartisan manner to pass a reform bill that will fix the broken immigration system and help strengthen families, communities, and the well-being of this nation.”

“We support President Obama’s action to move forward with fixing our broken immigration system. America cannot wait forever,” says Ignacio Salazar, President and CEO, SER-Jobs for Progress National, Inc. According to U.S. authorities between 60,000 and 80,000 children without parents will cross the border this year. Salazar added, “It’s also a humanitarian move to protect children from being unduly deported to their home countries conflicted with violence and poverty.”

“For over a year now, Congress has failed to move towards a resolution on immigration reform despite a Senate backed bill that provided a clear path forward,” said Hispanic National Bar Association National President, Miguel Alexander Pozo. “Instead, our Congressional leaders in the House pointed to alleged flaws in the Senate bill without advancing any concrete alternatives or putting the Senate bill to a vote. This inaction is simply irresponsible and undermines our system of government. While we applaud and welcome President Obama’s promise to take executive action, it is clear that adding another bandaid measure to this complex problem is not enough. Indeed, it is clear that not only is our immigration system broken but our entire political system is in serious disrepair. While our leaders return to their homes each day, millions are left to struggle with the effects of their unwillingness to pull up their sleeves and get the job done. We reaffirm our commitment to stand with and support the President. However, we also urge Congress to restore public confidence in our political process by resolving this critically important issue once and for all."

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