Senate Dems call for human rights guarantees in immigration reform

Four Senate Democrats called on their colleagues Tuesday to help them seek due process and human rights guarantees during debate on immigration reform.

Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) sent a letter to members of their chamber Tuesday saying the immigration legislation the Senate will likely consider during the 113th Congress should reflect American values by addressing human rights and ensure due process.

“America is a nation of values, founded on the idea that all people are created equal under God, no matter what they look like or where they came from,” the letter stated. “Our immigration laws should reflect our commitment to these values. They should be grounded in civil and human rights and ensure due process, equal treatment and fairness.”

Leahy, Coons, Blumenthal and Hirono said current immigration practices “tear families apart” and unfairly targets minorities.

“Our laws mandate detention or deportation for many people, denying them access to a hearing before a judge, without guaranteeing legal counsel for those who cannot afford it,” the senators wrote. “Immigration enforcement measures frequently target minority and immigrant communities through impermissible racial profiling that instills fear and distrust of law enforcement and makes communities less safe. Our system is not fair.”

Last month, a bipartisan group of eight senators outlined immigration reforms that would later be turned into legislation addressing the “broken immigration system” in America.

Leahy, Coons, Blumenthal and Hirono all serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold a hearing on comprehensive immigration reform next Wednesday.

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