(November 17, 2014, Los Angeles) – CARECEN LA urges President Obama to protect undocumented immigrants from deportation and keep families together.  It’s time for the President to be bold and deliver on his promise for administrative relief for millions of immigrants who contribute every day to the U.S. economy and to the fabric of this nation.

111714_Admin_Relief_Press_Release_FINAL.pdf

“We have a broken system that everyone agrees needs significant reforms, yet Congress has been unable or unwilling to find real solutions,” said Martha Arévalo, CARECEN Executive Director.  “In the meantime, immigrant families have been separated and devastated through aggressive deportation policies.  The President has made many promises, and it’s time to put politics aside and do what is best for this country.  We believe executive action is the right thing to do.”

CARECEN urges President Obama to:

• Grant protection and work authorization to the undocumented population covered through the 2013 Senate bill (S.744)
• End the Secure Communities and 287(g) programs which have failed and have caused millions of families to be separated

“It’s clear that the American people want the broken immigration system to be fixed and reformed,” said Angela Sanbrano, CARECEN Board Chair.  “However, Congress failed to pass legislation to solve this problem. The time is now for the administration to protect as many immigrant families as possible.”

CARECEN has worked for 31 years to protect the rights and dignity of Central American and Latino immigrants in Southern California. Since its founding in 1983, when thousands of Central Americans were fleeing the brutality of civil war, CARECEN has worked to change unjust immigration policies, win legal status for immigrants, and foster community activism on issues such as education reform, workers and immigrant rights and social and economic justice.