Quixote Center works to influence United States policies that impact the people we work with. We advocate with Congress and the Administration to change US foreign policies that exacerbate extreme poverty and vulnerability in Haiti and Nicaragua.  Extreme poverty, violence, and vulnerability lead families to make the heartbreaking decision to migrate, to the United States or elsewhere. We work to address these root causes when they have a US policy solution. We also advocate for immigration policies in the United States that promote the dignity of migrants, focusing on preserving the asylum system. 

Our current priorities include:

  • Ending illegal weapons trafficking to Latin America and the Caribbean, especially Haiti;
  • Ending the use of economic sanctions when they impact the most vulnerable;
  • Transforming global humanitarian assistance;
  • Safeguarding the asylum system;
  • Ending “border externalization” that pressures other countries to adopt policies conforming to US border strategies.

Quixote Center impacts policies through:

  • Encouraging our supporters to send letters to Congress and the Administration;
  • Scheduling in-person meetings with Members of Congress and the Administration;
  • Working in coalition with allied organizations.

 

Past Actions

#FreeThemAll Campaign Update #3

Since early March we, and many others, have been calling for the release of people from prisons, jails and immigrant detention centers as a necessary step to stop the spread of COVID-19, and protect the lives of those incarcerated. During late March and April there were releases, largely of people in pre-trial detention in county jails and/ people at the end of their sentences, if they had been incarcerated for a non-violent offense. At the same time very few state prisons joined in releases, and the Federal system also largely failed to release people. 

Black Lives Matter

The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other Black people by police officers and racist vigilantes attest the need for systemic change and solidarity in the fight for justice and equity for Black communities. The Quixote Center stands in solidarity and friendship with Black communities and the Black Lives Matter movement.  

Invisible enemies, immigration policy, and the language of oppression

Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind. ~George Orwell

In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States. ~Donald Trump, April 20, 2020

I read the news today, oh boy. ~John Lennon

Update: #FreeThemAll Campaign


Protesters drive in a caravan around Immigration and Customs Enforcement El Paso Processing Center to demand the release of detainees due to safety concerns amidst the COVID-19 outbreak on April 16, 2020, in El Paso, Texas. Photo Credit: Photo by Paul Ratje / Agence France-Presse / AFP

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