PRESS RELEASE 

For immediate release 

Contact: press@alianzaamericas.org / (773) 638-4278‍

Chicago, IL - The passage of the Laken Riley Act by the 119th Congress reflects the abandonment of human rights as the ethical standard for treating all people in a society and the decision to paralyze immigration policy by authorizing state Attorneys General to sue for measures and actions taken by the executive. This act is not about legality or public safety but rather another opportunity to continue pushing a false narrative about immigrants. 

“The U.S. Congress trampled the presumption of innocence and the right to due process of immigrants in an attempt to create the illusion of enhancing public safety. Immigration detention of a person arrested or charged with theft will result in the deprivation of liberty of innocent people, prolonged detention, and the inability to conclude criminal proceedings, as people are held in immigration facilities instead of being processed through the criminal justice system. Under the pretext of providing security, there will be much more suffering and injustice,” said Dulce Guzman, executive director of Alianza Americas. “The Laken Riley Act is an irresponsible symbolic gesture by legislators who want to give the impression that they are addressing public safety with careless measures that will not prevent crimes. This piece of legislation becomes law in the wake of the pardoning of over 1,500 individuals who committed violent crimes against police officers and threatened to destroy our democracy. This is not about public safety or obeying the law, it’s about separating innocent families.” added Guzman.  

“The passage of the Laken Riley Act undermines the very principles of immigration policy enforcement that it claims to support. Every federal policy has budgetary consequences. By legitimizing state attorneys general to sue on the grounds that the state has been harmed in excess of $100, they are being given a tool to paralyze the executive branch from defining and implementing immigration policy. Prosecutors will continue to file lawsuits with the political dividends of their actions in mind, rather than the rights of the people,” said Helena Olea, Deputy Director of Alianza Americas. “This law reflects a troubling pattern of legislating for appearances—passing measures without meaningful debate or thoughtful evaluation of their consequences. Unfortunately, it will be all people in the United States—citizens and immigrants alike—who will suffer the consequences of an act that was not properly considered and debated and that, before creating more security, generates insecurity. We call on elected officials to act responsibly,” concluded Olea.  

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Alianza Americas is the premier transnational advocacy network of Latin American migrant-led organizations working in the United States, across the Americas, and globally to create an inclusive, equitable and sustainable way of life for communities across North, Central and South America.

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