Immigration and Border Issues
The Immigration and Border Issues Task Force provides a national voice and leadership with regard to immigration and border issues, both within the halls of Congress and on behalf of diverse communities across the United States.
Members:
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, Co-Chair
Rep. Loretta Sanchez, Co-Chair
Rep. Joaquin Castro
Rep. Juan Vargas
Rep. Filemon Vela
Senator Robert Menendez
More on Immigration and Border Issues
WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, today made the following statement following press reports that more than 2,000 workers at Tornillo have not received background checks:
WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and First Vice Chair Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen urging them to reject any proposed increases in funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in particular for immigration detention, ICE agents, and Trump's border wall.
WASHINGTON--Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and First Vice Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, today released the following statement:
"For generations, Republican and Democratic Administration have maintained an orderly, humane asylum process that respects international law while protecting the sovereignty and security of the United States. Yet, the Trump Administration has failed miserably.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Darren Soto, Chair of the Civil and Voting Rights Task Force in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released the following statement following surfaced court documents indicating the Trump Administration is considering sharing confidential census data with law enforcement and other national security agencies:
"Suggesting personal census information could be shared with law enforcement agencies is yet another reprehensible fearmongering tactic by the Trump administration. Federal law protects the confidentiality of responses to the U.S. Census, and any attempt to threaten those safeguards would not only be against the law, it would also gravely jeopardize the accuracy of the count."
WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), issued the following statement in response to a federal judge ordering the U.S. government not to enforce President Trump's asylum restrictions, which denied asylum to immigrants fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries.
"The recent ruling that blocks the Trump Administration's proposed asylum ban confirms that President Trump overstepped his legal authority by closing the door on vulnerable women, men and children who are peacefully seeking refuge in our country. While this ruling has provided temporary relief for asylum-seeking families, it is clear that the Trump Administration will continue implementing their anti-immigrant agenda and targeting vulnerable communities."
WASHINGTON — Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, today made the following statement in response to the Trump Administration's interim final rule and presidential proclamation seeking to limit asylum claims for migrants at the US-Mexico border:
"Seeking asylum in our country is not illegal. It is written into our nation's immigration laws, and protected under international law, to ensure those who have a credible fear of persecution can present their case. In order to expand an anti-immigrant agenda, the Trump Administration has chosen to flagrantly ignore U.S and international law and violate human rights by closing the door on vulnerable women, men and children who are peacefully turning themselves over to immigration authorities to seek refuge from extreme violence and economic strife.
WASHINGTON—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, opposed the proposed changes to regulation relating to the apprehension, processing, care, custody, and release of unaccompanied minors. In a letter sent on behalf of the CHC, Congressman Castro warned that proposed changes to the Flores Settlement Agreement would allow the Trump Administration to indefinitely incarcerate immigrant families.
WASHINGTON— Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, made the following statement in response to President Trump's comments that he would be signing an anti-immigrant executive order to Change Amendment Granting Citizenship at Birth:
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Chair Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), released the following statement in reaction to President Trump's remarks that his inhumane family separation policy was an effective deterrent to immigration and that the White House was once again considering implementing similar
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM-01), Chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), released the following statement in reaction to reports that the Trump Administration is considering resuming the separation of families seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border. According to news accounts, one of the plans under consideration would combine indefinite family incarceration and family detention in what is called a "binary choice."