Immigration
Immigration
Immigration policies should promote the reunification of immediate families, meet economic, business, and employment needs, and be responsive to those facing political persecution or humanitarian crises.
Why It Matters
All people should receive fair treatment under the law, and the US must encourage new citizens' participation in our democracy.
What We're Doing
Legal Advocacy
We support federal immigration laws that provide efficient, expeditious systems for immigrants to enter the United States.
Congress must take immediate action to pass common-sense, fair immigration policies that end the crisis at our border, stop the separation of families, and provide a path to citizenship.
Supporting a Path to Citizenship
Diverse voices enhance our democracy. The League believes that a path to citizenship, or provisions for unauthorized immigrants already living in the US to earn legal status, will strengthen our nation.
We have lobbied both the House and Senate for a path to citizenship. We've also lobbied to support the DREAM Act, critical legislation enabling immigrant youth to become fully productive members of American society.
Helping New Americans Become Active Participants in Our Democracy
Voter education and voter registration are the foundation of the League’s work.
The strongest democracy is one in which the voices of all participants are heard. As such, the League is committed to helping new citizens become active in American political life. We do this by providing civic education and registering tens of thousands of new voters at naturalization ceremonies in communities nationwide.
This background paper was produced as part of the League's two-year (2006-2008) study of Immigration aimed at helping communities understand the implications of immigration at the local, state, and federal level. At the bottom of each paper is a link to a downloadable PDF version. "....The United States is often called a nation of immigrants. And it is. The quotation above expresses the diversity of immigrants and those of immigrant stock, and the vitality this diversity contributes to America. Certainly, new arrivals have a different perspective of immigration from those who have been here a while and those whose roots in America go a long way back. For recent arrivals, the immigration experience is immediate and still in process. For Native Americans, the impact of immigration goes back a long way and frequently continues to have a personal resonance. For those whose immigrant status dates back as recently as their parents’ or grandparents’ arrival in this country or more than 400 years when their ancestors arrived, immigration is a more distant event. ..."
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