NAHREP elevator pitch and immigration

Celebrating NAHREP familia, cultura, politics, and grassroots action

December 2, 2021

Qué onda mi gente?!

Recently, some of our NAHREP leaders were asked: “How would you describe NAHREP to elected officials?” I think the most important thing to remember in answering that question, is that when you describe NAHREP to elected officials or to any community leader in general, it is important to establish what we are, what we stand for, and why we matter in 30 seconds.

Here is the elevator pitch I use every time I describe NAHREP:

I challenge you all to memorize that! It is exactly 30 seconds. That’s it. This elevator pitch describes who we are, what we do, what we care about, and why they should listen to us (we’re a large organization that’s all over the country!). If we all sing to the same tune, we will effectively brand our organization.

UPDATES ON IMMIGRATION

One thing we don’t talk enough about is immigration, a critical component of our policy agenda. Therefore, I thought I would give you all a quick update on what’s happening around immigration and some things we’ve been working on.

Comment Letter on DACA

This week, NAHREP submitted a comment letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) addressing a recent proposed rule, Preserving and Fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The rule was in response to the legal threats the DACA program has faced over the past few years. In an effort to protect DACA, the rule gives better guidance, offers a clearer definition of “deferred action,” outlines eligibility standards, and clarifies the role of employment authorization in the deferred action application process.

While this proposed rule is a good first step towards securing the program, we all know that there is still so much more that needs to be done, starting with passing the DREAM Act through Congress once and for all. In our comment letter to DHS, we proposed the following recommendations to improve DACA going forward:

1. Make sure every DACA recipient has easy access to a work permit: Normally, DACA recipients can apply for a work permit as they apply for DACA. This new rule, however, would separate the work permit process from the DACA application. Our fear is that the change might make getting a work permit more difficult by confusing applicants or by increasing application processing times. This is why we asked that the application process not separate the two so individuals can get a work permit as they apply for DACA.
2. Improve the DACA application process: We also advocated to update DACA’s eligibility requirements and program procedures. This includes reducing the backlog of DACA applications, lowering DACA application fees, extending work permit expiration dates, changing eligibility dates, and removing the age limit to include others who might qualify for DACA. In fact, the Migration Policy Institute estimates there are currently about 1.2 million eligible DACA recipients–imagínate! These changes would allow even more individuals to participate in DACA, have a work permit, and facilitate their ability to keep contributing to our country’s economic growth.
3. Frame the rule by recognizing the significant contributions of DACA recipients through the COVID-19 pandemic: This rule is being written on the heels of DACA recipients being instrumental to keeping our country running during the pandemic. The final rule should be reflective of the fact that these individuals are critical to our economic prosperity. Approximately 76,600 DACA recipients worked in food services, 43,500 worked in the health care industries, and 21,100 were employed in transportation and warehouse services. DACA recipients were essential during the height of the pandemic and they remain essential to our country’s future.

Finally, happy December, corazones! I put my tree up this weekend by the way, have you? Seriously, why can’t we just have a Christmas tree up all year long? My house looks so much better with a tree. One month is not enough. A poco no?