Immigration

Rooted in Jewish values and traditions, JCPA advocates for a compassionate and robust federal immigration, asylum, and refugee system that protects civil and human rights. Our immigration system should reflect the best of our national values: equality, fairness, due process under the law, and respect for human dignity.

We strive to help protect immigrants and immigrant communities and ensure that they are treated with dignity and respect for their basic human rights, health and safety, and family unity. JCPA works on a range of immigration issues, such as replacing immigration detention with proven effective and humane alternatives like case management and legal orientation programs, restoring and expanding our asylum and refugee resettlement systems, and decriminalizing migration.

JCPA strongly supports a legislative pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and undocumented immigrants with a permanent solution for Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients. We believe that to be effective, any border security and enforcement measures must be evidence-based, consistent with humanitarian values, and part of a broader reform package that upholds refugee and asylee protection, family reunification, and economic opportunity. This includes making unauthorized entry and reentry into the country a civil offense handled by the immigration system rather than a federal crime, feeding migrants into the U.S. prison system.

JCPA has advocated for the inclusion of all immigrants—including undocumented immigrants—in any legislative health and economic measures related to the pandemic, regardless of immigration status. In addition, we are calling for an end to interior enforcement activities at hospitals, clinics, houses of worship, and other sensitive locations, such as food distribution sites and emergency shelters, as well as the suspension of raids, interior checkpoints, and deportations (particularly under Title 42) except to address an immediate and specific public safety threat, for the duration of the pandemic.

We will continue to fight any effort to further undermine our immigration system, increase military measures at the border, or expand immigration detention and deportation.