Joint Statement Regarding a Nominee for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
We congratulate President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris on a decisive victory against Donald Trump. This win is a solid rejection of Trump’s vile xenophobia and a clear mandate to immediately undo the anti-immigrant and anti-refugee policies enacted during the Trump administration. This is an essential first step after four years of relentless and systematic assaults on immigrants and aspiring immigrants and refugees. This win is also a call to action – the new administration must begin the long-overdue work of updating our immigration system to reflect the highest values of our country.
We stand ready to work with the transition and the incoming Administration to achieve these crucial goals. It will require leadership from the very top; the White House must prioritize the appointment of a Secretary of DHS with the experience and expertise necessary to make these goals a reality. Specifically, they must have an extensive background on immigration, possess a deep understanding of the immigrant community, profound respect for U.S. humanitarian obligations, commitment to approaching immigration through a humanitarian lens, and a demonstrated ability to lead large institutions through significant mission realignments.
Then-candidate Biden’s immigration platform stated: “Immigration is essential to who we are as a nation, our core values, and our aspirations for our future.” We are confident that President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris will select a nominee for DHS Secretary who agrees. The next DHS Secretary must be committed to the transformative overhaul of the immigration system that our country so desperately needs, along with leading on the other essential functions currently under the authority of DHS. We look forward to supporting such a nominee.
Signed,
National Organizations:
- Alianza Americas
- Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
- Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), AFL-CIO
- American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
- America’s Voice
- Bend the Arc
- Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI)
- Community Change
- Center for Popular Democracy (CPD)
- Demos
- Faith in Action
- Fair Immigration Reform Movement (FIRM)
- FWD.us
- Immigration Hub
- Hispanic Federation
- Human Rights First
- Immigration Hub
- Indivisible
- Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR)
- Mi Familia Vota
- Mijente
- MoveOn
- National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
- National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)
- National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC)
- National Immigration Law Center (NILC)
- National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild (NIP NLG)
- National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA)
- Resistance Force
- South Asian American Leaders (SAALT)
- Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC)
- UndocuBlack
- UnidosUS
- UNITE HERE
- United Farm Workers
- United Farm Workers Foundation
- United We Dream
- Women’s Refugee Commission
Regional, State, and Local Organizations:
- Alliance San Diego
- Arriba Las Vegas Worker Center
- CASA
- Florida Immigrant Coalition
- Florida Institute for Community Studies
- Illinois Coalition for Immigrant & Refugee Rights
- Make the Road Nevada
- Make the Road New York
- Make the Road Pennsylvania
