Families are calling for Biden to apologize for the 3 million family separations he oversaw while in the White House, and commit to using his executive authority to end all detention and deportation on day one, if elected President.  They will be joined by allies who will be sitting in at Biden’s campaign offices, refusing to leave until the campaign speaks with the families.  

Philadelphia- Immigrant families whose loved ones were among the 3,000,000 deported while Former Vice President Biden was in the White House plan sit in at Biden campaign headquarters in Philadelphia on Wednesday. They are demanding Biden to apologize for separating their families, and commit that, if elected president in 2020, he would use his executive authority to put an immediate end to all immigrant detention and deportations. Families are also calling for Biden to commit to bringing home loved ones that were unjustly deported by the last two administrations. 

Since Trump took office three years ago, millions of Americans have borne witness to the atrocities of family separation, immigrant detention, mass raids and deportation. In recent weeks, the public’s outrage has risen to a fever pitch, as thousands have taken to the streets in protest against ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement], CBP [Customs and Border Patrol], and the separation of families.The American public is being exposed to the realities of detention and family separation that the immigrant community has been experiencing for decades. In the face of shifting public opinion on immigration, it is time to put forward a new vision on immigration that recognizes the dignity of immigrant families and reflects the values being demonstrated by thousands of Americans across the country.  

For decades the Democratic establishment was complicit in a bipartisan attack on the immigrant community: While Republicans scapegoat immigrants, fanning the flames of white supremacy, the Obama Administration failed to deliver on the promise of legalization, and instead chose to deport 3,000,000 immigrants, a record in the history of our country. The public is ready for a new vision on immigration, one that recognizes our dignity and treats immigrant workers and families with respect. Yet in the most recent Democratic primary debate, Biden was questioned on his mass deportation record. He failed to recognize and take responsibility for the pain he caused, saying instead that Obama had done a “heck of a job.” It was a signal to the immigrant community that as things stand, a Biden presidency would mean a continuation of family separation and record breaking deportations.  

The Cosecha Movement is launching its Dignity2020 campaign, calling for all Democratic candidates to commit to the following demands as part of an immigration platform that recognizes the dignity that all immigrants deserve:  

  1. An end to all detention and deportation on day 1 in office 

  2. The reunification of families unjustly separated under both the Trump and Obama administrations 

  3. The immediate legalization of all 11 million undocumented immigrants. 

“Our country has reached a moment of reckoning on the issue of immigration. For too many years the Democratic establishment has conceded the debate on immigration to nativists, hoping to placate anti-immigrants by building detention centers and separating millions of families. This coming primary election we will demand that the Democratic party to recognize our dignity, and commit to solving the daily crisis of our immigrant families have been facing for more than two decades,” said Cata Santiago, a leader of the Cosecha Movement.