AILA Commends President Obama’s Commitment to Comprehensive Immigration Reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, April 9, 2009
CONTACT:
George Tzamaras
202-507-7649
gtzamaras@aila.org
WASHINGTON, DC -- The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) commends President Obama for the Administration's statement today that it plans to advance the effort to reform our immigration system including eliminating illegal immigration and providing a path to citizenship for hardworking immigrant families. "The administration gets it; immigration is intrinsically tied to the economy," said Charles H. Kuck, president of AILA. "Rising unemployment is a serious and frightening crisis that we all share. Policies require looking ahead, for our short-term economic recovery, and for the nation's long-term economic stability and growth. We must meet the challenge to reform our immigration system now, with sensible, practical solutions. Fixing our immigration system is a critical component of fixing our economy. This courageous stance will prove to be the right remedy for what ails the country right now."
Moving forward with comprehensive immigration reform will ensure that all workers are here legally, will punish unscrupulous employers who undercut their honest competitors, and will restore integrity to the labor market. It will lift wages for workers, ensure all workers are paying taxes, restore fairness to our immigration system, and create a level playing field for law-abiding employers. "We laud the administration for seeing past the political and emotional rhetoric to the truth that what our country needs to climb out of the crisis toward economic growth and stability," stressed Kuck. "AILA welcomes this opportunity to work with the new Administration to forge a new path toward a 21st century immigration system that meets the needs of the American people and respects the ideals upon which our country was built."
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The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.