Washington, D.C. – This week, the Unity Task Force of Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders released their recommendations. These recommendations will be used to shape the Biden campaign’s commitments and eventual policy platform of the future administration.
Cristina Jiménez, Executive Director & Co-Founder of United We Dream Action, said:
“The recommendations from the Unity Task Force on immigration are a significant step in the right direction. Many of the demands United We Dream Action made of the Biden campaign were included, such as:
✅ Ending the use of for-profit detention facilities;
✅ Stopping deportations in the first 100 days;
✅ Ending the use of 287(g) contracts and therefore the collaboration between federal immigration enforcement agencies and state and local law enforcement;
✅ Expanding protections for undocumented people, including maintaining DACA, TPS and DED.
✅ Guaranteeing free health coverage to all people regardless of immigration status during a public health crisis like COVID-19, and
✅ Creating a commission to welcome and support immigrants.
United We Dream Action, along with other immigrant justice organizations, have been pushing for these demands because we know that the solutions that work best are those led by directly impacted people. The adoption of these demands is a testament to the power of our collective organizing and movement. However, there is more to be done.
One major component that was missing in the Task Force’s recommendations was a commitment to address wrongful deportations or asylum denials. Adding a policy concerning wrongful deportations would make the reunification of families possible.
Vice President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee must continue to follow the leadership of undocumented youth and our families.We have witnessed and experienced Trump use the police and the deportation force of ICE and CBP to criminalize, jail, deport and kill immigrants. We know that this election is the fight of our lives.
United We Dream Action will continue to push forward from these recommendations, knowing that our communities deserve to see these policy proposals and more become a reality. We are determined to mobilize and energize voters to turn out in November and reject Trump and politicians across the country who have sided with him.”