Washington, D.C.– A coalition of civil rights, immigration, women’s, and children’s advocacy groups will host a press conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday, July 15, to discuss how current immigration laws affect our children. They will call on Congress and the President to enact meaningful and reasonable changes in current immigration enforcement practices.

After the press conference, lawmakers will participate in a stakeholder-organized ad hoc hearing featuring panelists from the American Psychological Association, Legal Momentum, and the National Immigration Law Center, as well as two children from Phoenix who have each lost a parent as a result of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s unaccountable enforcement policies. Experts will discuss current laws’ practical and psychological effects on children of immigrant families, and the young panelists will discuss their own personal experiences with our nation’s immigration system.

WHAT: Press conference and hearing on immigration enforcement

WHEN: Press conference 10:00 – 10:30 a.m.; Hearing 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Thurs., July 15)

WHERE: Press conference at Capitol Hill House Triangle; Hearing in Rayburn 2237

Co-Sponsoring Organizations: National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Day Laborer Organizing Network, Family Values at Work Consortium, AFL-CIO, Right to the City Alliance, MomsRising, Legal Momentum, First Focus Campaign for Children, CODEPINK, CLASP, Legal Aid Justice Center’s Immigrant Advocacy Program, 9to5 National Association of Working Women, Wider Opportunities for Women, National Employment Law Project, Coalition on Human Needs, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, Jobs with Justice.