Wendy Feliz
Wendy Feliz is the Communications Director at the American Immigration Council. Wendy manages a highly-effective communications operation, working to drive a rational conversation about immigration in the United States. Her experience in public policy/advocacy communications spans her career in the communications field, which has included positions with New America Media, the Open Society Institute, and WAMU 88.5 FM. Earlier in her career she provided direct service to clients through programs at The California Hispanic Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and the Young Adult Institute. Wendy has an M.A. in Public Communication from the American University, a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the New School University, and an A.A. from East Los Angeles Community College.
June is Immigrant Heritage Month, and given the shrill and often negative rhetoric we hear around immigration, it seems more important than ever to take time to appreciate our immigration history and what newcomers bring to our nation and our lives. Though our country’s roots can be largely traced back to successive generations of immigrants, […]
The Millennial Generation constitutes the most racially and ethnically diverse generation America has ever known. Millennials are the largest living generation by population size (79.8 million in 2016) and are the generation with the largest number of individuals who identify as multiracial. A recent study on millennial attitudes around immigration reveals interesting and sometimes contradictory […]
A critical service that members of Congress provide for their constituents is case assistance with the agencies that oversee federal programs like Social Security and immigration. Oftentimes, when constituents get stuck in backlogs or need help, a congressperson’s office can serve as a critical intermediary between an individual and an inefficient government agency.
Americans value diversity and family. That is why our immigration system generally reflects those values. The U.S. diversity visa lottery, which was enshrined into law in 1990, was created to encourage legal immigration to the U.S. from countries other than those where immigrants usually migrate from, thus creating a greater diversity in our immigration pool. […]
Each year, a series of events and community gatherings take place across America that bring both the foreign- and native-born together to build inclusive communities. These “Welcoming Week” activities are hosted by local governments and community groups working to create a nation of neighbors. This year, the series of community events and gatherings will take […]
Texas’ Senate Bill 4 (SB4), the state’s punitive, anti-immigrant law slated to go into effect on September 1, was largely blocked by a Texas Judge late Wednesday evening.
There is strong speculation that in the coming days President Trump will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. If the administration chooses to do so, there are different ways the program could be terminated. One option would be to allow DACA to sunset, allowing those who presently have DACA and a work […]
Nothing is a better predictor of an immigrant’s success in their immigration case, than whether or not they have access to competent legal assistance. However, the U.S. Government has at times made the hurdles to enlisting legal help insurmountable. One such example came in March 2017, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) banned a legal […]
Each year, hundreds of individuals perish while crossing into the United States from Mexico and Central America. Death while crossing the desert is often due to dehydration and other medical emergencies. Often migrants get lost and are poorly equipped for the treacherous journey, succumbing to the desert heat and exhaustion. As a result, in 2004 a […]
Since the reintroduction of family detention under the Obama administration, abuse of the mothers and children held in these facilities has run rampant. The family detention scheme has grown increasingly controversial not only because it has failed to provide safe and humane conditions for mothers and children, but also because the government has created arbitrary […]
