November 29, 2018 — Austin, Texas
The Latino Jewish Leadership Council (LJLC) deeply regrets the recent violence on the U.S.-Mexico border and urges appropriately humane treatment for Central American asylum seekers. Today, with violence and poverty the main causes of Central American migration, forcing thousands to seek better lives, the Council calls for increased U.S. aid for development to ensure that improved conditions on the ground will reduce the desperate need many feel to leave their countries. A fair asylum process, bipartisan immigration reform and regional cooperation are long overdue.
Given the strategic and multidimensional nature of U.S.-Mexico ties, the Council also calls for increased and respectful collaboration with the incoming Mexican administration of Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador.
In addition, the LJLC underscores its deep concern for the substantial uptick in hate crimes and rhetoric against Jews and Latinos. We strongly believe that a crime against one community is a crime against all of us. The LJLC has repeatedly denounced the rise of anti-immigrant, antisemitic and xenophobic rhetoric that has too often infected our nation’s political discourse. We reiterate our call to our political, religious and civic leaders to bring the nation together, heal wounds and prevent future hate crimes and toxic discourse against Jews, Latinos, and other minorities.
Convened by AJC in January 2017, the LJLC is comprised of 35 prominent U.S. Jewish and Latino leaders who advocate together on issues of common concern and defend values cherished by both communities. The three priorities the Council focuses on are immigration reform, combating discrimination and bigotry, and foreign policy initiatives linking the U.S., Latin America, and Israel. The Council recently met in Austin to take stock of its 2018 initiatives, address the most pressing developments on its priority agenda, and join in the launching of the Texas LJLC, its first regional affiliate.
