New & Veteran Members of Congress Pledge to Protect Migrant Families at Asamblea 2018

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At Alianza Americas’ 2018 National Leadership Assembly, U.S. Representative-elect Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (IL-4) and U.S. Representative James McGovern (MA-2) promised to work to protect U.S. immigrant communities—including Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) beneficiaries—along with Central Americans fleeing from Central America in “caravans” to seek refuge in the United States.
This powerful conversation, dubbed “Resist, Connect, and Transform,” fell on the heels of Midterm elections and for the exodus of millions of families from Central America. The event took place on November 9 in Washington, D.C. as part of a plenary discussion on “Politics and Power in the Americas” with an audience of migrant leaders, advocates, and members of the public. The panel, which included analysis from Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alianza Americas, and was moderated by Tsi-tsi-ki Felix of Entravision, kicked off a three-day meeting for Alianza Americas member organizations.
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Reps. Garcia and McGovern were hopeful that the first 100 days of the new Congress would be marked by momentum on legislation to protect TPS and DACA beneficiaries, groups totaling nearly 1 million people with uncertain futures in the United States under the anti-immigrant platform of President Trump.
“I hope that, during the first 100 days, Congress—with our new majority in the House—will move to pass a proposal for legislation for DACA, to protect these young people. This will make the U.S. public more receptive to protection for TPS beneficiaries, and later, to immigration reform,” said Garcia.
“The good news is that we are now in control of the House of Representatives and am leading the House Rules Committee. We will work together, and I hope we can pass legislation to protect these people,” said McGovern.
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The two Representatives also analyzed what Midterm results mean for the continuity of the xenophobic policies of President Trump. Both Garcia and McGovern agreed that the loss of Republican control in the House of Representatives is a “good sign” that hate-based politics can be reversed.
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Panelists also discussed Trump’s most recent anti-immigrant attack: an executive order that restricts internationally recognized human rights to seek asylum in the United States, ostensibly levied in response to the caravan of Central American asylum seekers en route to U.S.
“We have to share the stories of the people who are coming in this Caravan. We see mothers with babies, we see people fleeing from violence from the Maras and gangs. When I was in Honduras and El Salvador last August, we first-hand, person-to-person that stories of the incredible violence that is affecting these countries,” said McGovern.
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Each Representative, speaking from his own experiences and perspectives, pledged to champion unity for migrant families.
“I came [to the United States] because my father was a ‘bracero’ who was originally undocumented and later received permanent residency, in 1965. This allowed me to arrive with a green card. That’s why I understand how important it is to keep families together, and I’m going to Congress to fight for this,” said Garcia.  
“I don’t want us to support an immigration reform that will spend $60 billion on a stupid wall, and I don’t want us to fall into a proposal where we separate families or limit asylum. We have to be sure that Democrats, and Republicans of conscious, stay true to our values,” said McGovern.
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