Oral history interview with Marielena Hincapié, 2020
Abstract
Marilena Hincapié reflects on her interaction with the Obama administration during her tenure as executive director of the National Immigration Law Center (NILC). She goes over her career up until her arrival at NILC, establishing contact with the Obama administration due to the Affordable Care Act and the NILC's interest in working with Congress to ensure immigrant access to healthcare. She expla ins how she worked with the Department of Health and Human Services as well as with the White House in passing the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act in 2009, and evaluates the Obama administration and the Department of Homeland Security's increase of detention and deportation for undocumented immigrants. Hincapié explains the NILC and its role in working on policy that affects immigrants, advocating for them, and connecting them with relevant resources and the formation of the United We Dream Network financially sponsored by the NILC. She discusses some of the history of the DREAM (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act leading to the implementation process for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) in 2012 and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents) in 2014, as well as her own role defending both. She discusses conversations on perceiving immigration as something to be criminalized or as a strength to the country, as well as Arizona's SB 1070 and other similar state legislation, representation and identity politics, RILR v. Johnson, and the state of diversity in the United States
Presidents--United States; Health care reform--United States; Detention of persons--Law and legislation--United States; Immigration enforcement--United States; Illegal immigration--Law and legislation--United States; Children of undocumented immigrants--Legal status, laws, etc.--United States; United States Emigration and immigration; Hincapié, Marielena; Obama, Barack; National Immigration Law Center (U.S.); Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (U.S.); United States; United States. Department of Health and Human Services; United States. Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Format
oral histories
Genre
Interviews
Date
2020
Physical Description
59 pages
Note (Biographical)
Marielena Hincapié is executive director of the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), and of the NILC Immigration Justice Fund. She has been at the NILC since 2000, where, as a staff attorney, she led the labor unemployment rights program. Before j oining NILC, she worked for the Legal Aid Society of San Francisco's Employment Law Center, where she founded the center's immigrant workers' rights project
Note
Interviewed by by Nicole R. Hemmer on November 19, 2020. This interview is part of the Columbia University: Obama Presidency Oral History
Note (Provenance)
Marielena Hincapié, Gift, transferred from Columbia Center for Oral History Research 2022