Harrisonburg, Va.—This week, the House Judiciary Committee, led by U.S. Representative Bob Goodlatte, passed an immigration bill called the “SAFE Act,” that would make the presence of immigrants in the U.S. without proper documentation a crime and give states and counties around the country the power to turn their police into immigration agents.

 

Isabel Castillo, a Harrisonburg Chapter leader of Virginia Organizing and DREAMer, said, “It has been proven time and again that deputizing local police as immigration officers is not safe, as this Act’s name implies, but very dangerous for immigrant communities. In localities where this has been tried before, both documented and undocumented immigrants reported fearing the police and are hesitant to report crimes.”

 

The SAFE Act is harmful to immigrant communities and families and is contrary to the will of the people who elected Congress. According to a recent poll, a majority of Virginians, across party lines, approve of a comprehensive solution to immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship.

 

“The real solution is comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship,” said Castillo. “Virginians have spoken, and we do not want a piecemeal approach to reform that is more harmful to immigrants and families.”

 

Castillo added, “I certainly hope Representative Goodlatte remembers that more than 400 people in Harrisonburg came out on two different occasions in the last few months to march and support comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship. I hope he’s listening.”

 

 

To interview a Virginia Organizing spokesperson, please contact Amanda Pohl at 804-337-1912 or amanda@virginia-organizing.org.