CLINIC Executive Director on Mayorkas Nomination

January 26, 2021

SILVER SPRING, Maryland — Anna Gallagher, executive director at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. said:

“As an immigrant with serious management and policy-making experience, Alejandro Mayorkas is an excellent choice to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Having directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and served as Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security in the Obama administration, Mayorkas understands the complexities of U.S. immigration law. His respect for the dignity and rights of immigrants is real. The job here is not only to undo the destruction of the previous administration, but to lead us forward in building a humane, just, and dignified immigration system. CLINIC looks forward to working with Mayorkas and his team to make this a reality.”

Read about CLINIC’s priorities for the Biden-Harris administration here: cliniclegal.org/transition

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SILVER SPRING, Maryland – The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, or CLINIC — the nation’s largest network of nonprofit immigration legal services organizations — released this statement as Catholics across the world celebrate the season of renewal ushered in by Holy Week and Easter:

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For Catholics, Easter is a season of renewal, of light, of hope. It is a time when we reflect on all that is possible. CLINIC knows that what is possible is a United States that upholds the rights and dignity of asylum seekers and puts in place systems, laws, and policies that truly and actively welcome.

Title 42 was never about public health, it is about racism, xenophobia, and the politicization of human life, and there is no place for Title 42 in a moral and just nation.

As Texas Governor Greg Abbott, members of Congress and others attempt to stoke fear around the end of Title 42, CLINIC renews our call on the Biden administration to end this deadly and devastating policy immediately and to do everything in its power to ensure such a travesty of human rights and morality never happens again.

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Biden Administration Makes Right Decision on TPS for Ukraine; Must Do the Same for Other Countries
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Promoting the Dignity of Immigrants With Affordable Legal Expertise

As it has for more than 30 years, CLINIC will fight for the rights of immigrants. CLINIC trains legal representatives who provide high-quality and affordable immigration legal services. We develop and sustain a network of nonprofit programs that serve over 500,000 immigrants every year. We cultivate projects that support and defend vulnerable immigrant populations by:

Providing direct representation for asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border and educating them about their rights;
Reuniting formerly separated families;
Increasing legal representation for those in removal proceedings and in detention;
Providing public education on immigration law and policies; and
Advocating for fair and just immigration policies that acknowledge the inherent dignity and value of all people.

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About the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.

Embracing the Gospel value of welcoming the stranger, CLINIC promotes the dignity and protects the rights of immigrants in partnership with a dedicated network of Catholic and community legal immigration programs. We are based out of Silver Spring, Maryland (Washington, D.C. metropolitan area), with an office in Oakland, California, and additional staff working from locations throughout the country. Questions and inquiries can be sent to national@cliniclegal.org.

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