Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus released the following statement marking the end of Kevin McAleenan’s tenure as Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security:

WASHINGTON — This morning, the US Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) released a report on the treatment of immigrant families in US custody entitled “Trauma at the Border: The Human Cost of Inhumane Immigration Policies.” This 200-page report reveals the depths of atrocities committed against vulnerable immigrants by the Trump Administration and includes personal testimonies from asylum seekers, legal experts, and witnesses of the impacts of changing immigration policy at the US-Mexico border. This recent report has similar findings to previous government and watchdog reports, such as the September report by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General on the mental health impacts of family separation and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General July report on the overcrowding and substandard immigration detention conditions.

WASHINGTON — Today, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) welcomes Stephanie Palencia as Policy and Special Projects Coordinator. She is the first staff member to serve in this role at the CHC and will oversee the Caucus' policy work on diversity issues, healthcare, Census 2020, and other vital policy areas.

WASHINGTON— Congressional leaders from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and House Committees of jurisdiction called on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari and Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz to launch an investigation into the use of tent courts at the border. These tent facilities are being used to hold immigration hearings via video teleconference (VTC) for asylum seekers subject to President Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy.

WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, Democrats on the House Education and Labor Committee introduced the College Affordability Act, which reauthorizes the Higher Education Act. On September 30, the Chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus – Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chairman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chairwoman Judy Chu (CA-27), and Congressional Black (CBC) Caucus Chairwoman Karen Bass (CA-37) – sent a letter to leadership of both the Senate and House education committees urging the inclusion of priorities to address the historical educational inequities within communities of color.

WASHINGTON- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Vice Chair of the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee (JEC), and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), jointly released a new report today examining the economic state of the Latino community in the United States. The study was prepared in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15th through October 15th.

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler (NY-10), and Judiciary Immigration and Citizenship Subcommittee Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19) along with Senator Dick Durbin (IL) led 172 current and former Members of Congress in filing a bipartisan amicus brief in the Supreme Court in support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Supreme Court will hear arguments on DACA on November 12, 2019. President Trump terminated the DACA program on September 5, 2017, throwing the lives of nearly 800,000 Dreamers into chaos.