Senator Chuck Schumer announced today that he is “not confident” that Senator Jeff Sessions can protect the rights of all Americans as Attorney General under President-Elect Donald Trump. Schumer specifically noted Sessions’ anti-immigrant record and lack of support for comprehensive immigration reform in his statement.
The following is a statement from Steven Choi, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition:
“We thank Senator Schumer for making a strong statement about the role of the U.S Attorney General and publicly stating that Senator Sessions is not the right person for the job. The Attorney General has sweeping ability to shape how immigration policy is enforced in the United States. Senator Sessions has demonstrated time and again that he believes in aggressive anti-immigrant policies and heavy enforcement that will do more harm than good. He has voted against several bills that would have provided a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, and has stated he believes overall legal immigration must be lowered – despite the tremendous value that immigrants have brought to this country."
“But the threat still remains. Before the Senate votes on this nomination, we need Senator Schumer, as Senate Minority Leader, to rally the Senate to defeat this nomination once and for all. This is a critical moment that will affect the rights of all Americans – including New York’s immigrants – for years to come, and we need Senator Schumer’s strong leadership more than ever.”
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The New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) is an umbrella policy and advocacy organization for nearly 200 groups in New York State that work with immigrants and refugees. The NYIC aims to achieve a fairer and more just society that values the contributions of immigrants and extends opportunity to all by promoting immigrants’ full civic participation, fostering their leadership, and providing a unified voice and a vehicle for collective action for New York’s diverse immigrant communities.