The Advocates respond to Obama’s immigration speech

The Advocates for Human Rights reports that while it supports the comprehensive immigration reform efforts discussed by President Obama in his address to the nation yesterday, the organization is disappointed the president didn’t say even more.

In his speech, Obama laid out several important issues that give a human face to the immigration issue, including family unity, workers’ rights, community policing issues and procedural failures in the current immigration system.

In a press release issued last night, the Advocates said that the organization supports federal immigration laws that meet international human rights standards and regrets that the president didn’t take the opportunity to highlight many violations of these rights, including detention of individuals who have not committed a crime. Being out of status is not a crime; immigration status is regulated by civil laws, not criminal laws, the Advocates wrote.

Robin Phillips, executive director of The Advocates, also noted that “the distinction made between undocumented immigrants and those who are here legally sets up a false dichotomy. Many people flow in and out of status for a variety of reasons, and for the majority of low-skilled workers, there simply is no legal process for them to follow. This myth lends itself to scapegoating immigrant populations, and in turn, leads to a host of human rights violations.”

I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from the Advocates as our country continues to struggle with immigration reform.


(2010-07-03/The Associated Press)