IMMIGRATION REFORM
Photo by Whitney Curtis
45% Estimated percentage of unauthorized immigrants in the United States who arrived legally but overstayed their visas
Given their time in the U.S. military, Legionnaires have a unique perspective on the threat open borders present, a basis for The American Legion’s stance on illegal immigration. The Legion opposes illegal immigration and amnesty for unauthorized immigrants, but fully supports opportunities for legal immigration. In May 2022, the Legion’s National Executive Committee passed a resolution clarifying and updating the organization’s policy on immigration, border control, detention and the route to naturalized U.S. citizenship. Resolution 23 urges the federal government to reform and modernize the nation’s immigration system to reflect changes in global migration patterns and the demographics of those coming to U.S. borders, and to enhance border security and visa procedures to help reduce and discourage illegal immigration. The resolution also calls for streamlined legal-immigration processing, reforms to the asylum system, adherence to laws on detention and due process for illegal border crossers, and strengthening of immigration reform agreements with transit countries to discourage the flow of unauthorized immigrants. The Legion fully supports law enforcement in its mission to enforce current immigration laws as written. The resolution is excerpted here.
18 The American Legion Annual Report 2022
AR22_18-27.indd 18
7/8/22 3:45 AM
