Marianne Williamson for President
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2019
Patricia Ewing
Communications Director

Marianne Williamson’s Immigration Proposal:
A Civilized Path to Citizenship

Manchester, NH - Marianne Williamson introduced a comprehensive plan for immigration reform today, calling her proposal a civilized path to citizenship. Williamson spoke at an Immigration Solidarity Network event held at Blessed Sacrament Church, in Manchester, NH. Right before her remarks, she attended the Faith in Action & Granite State Organizing Project's Immigrant Solidarity Vigil, Norris Cotton Federal Building - ICE Headquarters, in Manchester, NH.

As President, Marianne Williamson will push for legislative reforms that include a full path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who do not have serious criminal background issues. The cost of naturalization must also be reduced and resources increased to help people navigate that process more easily and humanely.

“My grandfather came to America alone when he was thirteen years old and sold bananas on the East Side of New York until he had raised enough money to return to Russia and get his next-younger brother; together they sold enough bananas to make the money to return and get their next-younger sibling; and on and on until all seven brothers and sisters and their mother had been brought over to America.
 
My family’s story is an American story.” said Williamson.
 
Williamson recognizes that the United States has significant border security issues, and other immigration issues, that pose legitimate points for bipartisan problem-solving. But the bigger issue at the moment in this, as in so many other areas, is America’s paramount need to return to our moral axis. Seeking asylum here is a statutory right established in the Refugee Act of 1980. While it’s legitimate to discuss conservative versus progressive options regarding how we help a refugee fleeing humanitarian horrors, there should never be a question of whether or not we do.
 
“Today, people seeking asylum on the southern border of the United States are being scapegoated as criminals, their children deceitfully taken from their arms with no plan as to how they will be returned. In violation of American law, which mandates that almost anyone who sets foot in the United States has full constitutional protection here, and almost universally accepted human rights, these asylum seekers have been grossly denied fair protection,” Williamson added.
 
Williamson also went on to discuss how the governments’ broken immigration system punishes children of illegal immigrants who are in the United States through no fault of their own. DREAMERS, therefore, deserve a path to citizenship that is transparent and timely.
 
Williamson ended with: “The immigrant is not our enemy. It is so important to remember this today, as immigrants are often viciously scapegoated. This is not the first time this has happened in America, and we must stand up against it now as other generations stood up against it in their time.”

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Marianne Williamson Immigration Proposal:
A Civilized Path to Citizenship

As President, Marianne Williamson will push for legislative reforms that include a full path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who do not have serious criminal background issues. The cost of naturalization must also be reduced and resources increased to help people navigate that process more easily and humanely.
  • Civilized Path to Citizenship. Provide a timely, ethical, transparent and straightforward path to citizenship for all law-abiding, productive immigrantsliving in the United States.
  • Overturn the “three- and ten-year re-entry bar. Many people who would otherwise qualify for green card status, due to a relationship with a citizen or permanent resident, are in a heart-wrenching scenario because they first have to leave to apply and wait for a green card in their native country (as is currently required). They are subsequently not allowed to re-enter the United States for three or ten years, even if they are married to a U.S. citizen. They can be separated from their families despite abiding by our laws. This scenario traps people in undocumented limbo and this unnecessary hardship must be overturned.
  • Support for DREAMERS. Children brought into the United States by their parents should not be punished. Working to expand protections and naturalization to all undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children, regardless of their current age, will also be a priority. They came here through no fault of their own, and many are, in fact, unaware that they are undocumented. DREAMERS, who are covered under DACA, have lived in America most of their lives and deserve our support.
  • Reduce Number of Detainees. Reduce the record number of detainees currently under extended Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) control. Private detention centers and family detention centers should be closed as there are far more humane options that have been proven to work.
  • End Family Separation. The Federal government has a moral responsibility to keep families together. For those that have been torn apart by the current administration, we must take immediate action to reunite children with their families.
  • Speed-Up Processing. For the benefit of the U.S. and asylum seekers alike, we must speed-up the process so our government can determine the validity of an asylum claim. It is necessary to fund and authorize a vast increase in immigration judges to adjudicate the backlog of asylum seekers and other related cases. As an example, asylum seekers at the southern border should not be forced to stay across the border before being processed.
  • LGBTQ Expansion Protection. LGBTQ immigrants and asylum seekers who experience discrimination here, as well as in their countries of origin, should receive expanded protection.
  • Guarantee Constitutional Protections. Ensure that due process and constitutional protections are available to undocumented immigrants when it comes to deportation issues.
  • Access to Health Care. Make affordable health care available to all families, whether they are documented or not. 
  • Real Border Security. Increase border security intelligently through electronic surveillance and more patrol agents, rather than an ineffective and expensive wall.