Oppose Deportation Policies that Separate Families; Support the Dignity Act

President Trump has begun to carry out “the largest deportation in U.S. History.” While he has largely emphasized the need to deport those convicted of violent crimes, the reality is that, according to TRAC, over 70 percent of the roughly 60,000 immigrants currently detained by ICE have not been convicted of any crime. At the same time, the CATO Institute found that only 5 percent of immigrants in detention have been convicted of violent crimes.

His administration has quotas for immigrant detention and deportation that are impossible to meet by only deporting those with a history of violent crime. In fact, the Trump administration has also withdrawn protections from certain immigrants who were in the country lawfully and initiated deportations. A deportation program of this scale jeopardizes family unity for the 4 to 5 million U.S. citizen minors who have an undocumented parent, and also will disrupt church communities, as 1 in 12 Christian households has at least one family member vulnerable to deportation.

Fortunately, there’s a bipartisan alternative known as the Dignity Act that would allow certain immigrants currently vulnerable to deportation to earn permanent legal status by paying a fine and meeting other requirements. Please call today to ask your Member of Congress to support this important bipartisan bill!