Talking about Immigrant Rights
By Archana Sahgal
Since 1997, the Open Society Foundations has invested more than $100 million in immigrant rights. Our grantees have redefined the immigration debate in the United States, and the current political climate has prompted optimism that federal immigration reform can be achieved in 2013.
While consensus on commonsense immigration reform seemed beyond reach just a short time ago, today a roadmap to citizenship is now in sight for over 11 million undocumented immigrants. This shift is due, in large part, to the groundwork laid by immigrant rights advocates and immigrant youth, demographic changes in the United States, and the increasing political and electoral involvement of Latino and Asian American communities.
In the rapidly evolving push towards reform, however, there is a danger that unfair and inhumane enforcement provisions and practices may be perpetuated and expanded. Sophisticated and expansive campaigns that represent major immigrant, labor, women, Latino, Asian-American, and progressive voices are underway to keep a path to citizenship moving forward and to challenge federal and state immigration enforcement laws that lead to racial profiling, and unjust detention and deportation.
We invite you to take a look at our blog series focused on immigrant rights. It lifts the voices of some of the best and the brightest leaders at the forefront of developing real solutions to our nation's immigration system.
Until January 2015, Archana Sahgal was a program officer with the Equality Fund at the Open Society Foundations.
