ACLU of South Carolina Welcomes National Immigration Reform Efforts, Urges Protection of Civil Liberties
February 13, 2013. Press Release. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Carolina supports calls by our national leadership for immediate steps to reform our broken immigration system. Reform measures must honor our country’s constitutional promise of equality to all. To that end, we support an inclusive roadmap to citizenship that includes a fair process for legalization.
Our broken immigration system has created an ‘underclass’ of people who, despite being productive contributors to their communities, are marginalized and treated like criminals. We need a fair and humane pathway to citizenship that will eliminate current abuses in the system. People in South Carolina who are living in the shadows deserve an immigration process that upholds values we all share – hard work, taking care of our families, and looking out for each other.
The ACLU of South Carolina opposes additional border security enforcement measures that have been imposed without regard for actual security needs and that have resulted in a historic level of deportations. In many cases, these have occurred without the constitutional due process right to a fair day in court.
Undocumented migration into our country is at historic lows, and billions of dollars are spent annually on detaining and deporting individuals, most of whom work hard, support their families, and pose no threat. We should direct resources to expediting the process and clearing up the backlog of applicants. South Carolina stands to benefit from real immigration reform, as much as any state in the nation.
