HIAS Frustrated by President Obama’s Delay Addressing Immigration

(WASHINGTON, D.C.)– In response to today’s White House announcement that President Obama will not seek to fix the broken immigration system prior to the November elections, Melanie Nezer, Vice President for Policy and Advocacy at HIAS, the global Jewish nonprofit that protects refugees, issued the following statement:

"HIAS is extremely disappointed that the President has decided that he will not provide relief to immigrant families before the November elections. With Congress having failed to enact reform or even provide desperately needed resources to properly care for immigrant children who have arrived in our country in recent months, we had hoped that the President would act as soon as he said he would.  

Delay has serious consequences.  Delay means that thousands more hardworking immigrants, some of whom have been in this country for decades, will be needlessly torn from their homes, jobs, communities, and families.  Delay means support and solutions for the children and others seeking relief from relentless violence in Central America will remain on hold.  The delays have gone on long enough.  

We urge Congress and the President to finally put policy before politics and lead the country towards an immigration system that keeps families together, provides proper care for children who are alone, and ensures that individuals who seek safety at our border are not returned to persecution."