2020 has proven to be one of the most tumultuous years in recent history. We have struggled to survive a deadly global pandemic and faced a national reckoning on racial inequity and police brutality. Over the past four years, immigration enforcement tactics have continued to instill fear, and any protection policies have been decimated. Immigrant communities face the constant threat of deportation and essential immigrant workers, such as farmworkers, face inhumane and exploitative working conditions. As we think about immigration policy in the days and months ahead, we must reject the notion that certain community members can be treated as disposable. Our immigration policies must be guided by values that uphold the dignity of all immigrants and bring us closer to becoming the country we promise to be.
In the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s Blueprint for the Next Administration, we identify policies that must immediately be addressed – we call on the next administration, regardless of the election outcome, to not only restore what has been lost over the past four years but also for a new way forward toward dignity and justice. These recommendations were initially developed by ILRC’s policy team and informed by our years of close collaboration with organizations and leaders fighting for immigrant rights and racial justice. We also engaged in consultations about this Blueprint with individuals directly impacted by the immigration and criminal legal systems, community-based organizations, and movement leaders. Their recommendations and expert analysis are also included here and a Spanish version of this Blueprint is also available.