UnidosUS Statement on President Biden’s Executive Order on Police Reform

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WASHINGTON, DC—Today UnidosUS—the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization—commended President Joe Biden for yesterday’s signing of an executive order that reforms a variety of policing practices.

Janet Murguía, President and CEO, UnidosUS, released the following statement: 

“The Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety signed by President Biden is a welcome first step towards reforming our country’s justice and policing systems that have continued to fail our most vulnerable communities. On the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, this moment carries the weight of the too many lives lost to police brutality. It also carries the collective passion and will for change that gave life to the extraordinary movement for Black Lives and the ensuing fight for equity embraced by the Latino community and many others.

“The communities across Minneapolis, Louisville, Kenosha, Chicago, Vallejo, and more know all too well the ravages of racialized policing practices. They also know the ways in which their Black, brown, immigrant, and other historically overpoliced groups too often fear the representatives of the very institutions tasked with preserving their safety and wellbeing. Public safety and public health—two sides of the same coin—cannot be maintained without public trust. While the road to building trust will be long, today’s executive order demonstrates the Biden administration’s commitment to stay the course.

“The provisions contained in the order make good on the president’s commitment to foster accountability and transparency within our law enforcement institutions by requiring implementation of expanded data collection processes, revising ‘use of force’ standards, limiting programs that promote the militarization of police, investing in alternatives to incarceration, and other similar provisions. UnidosUS endorsed these in the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. We applaud the work of the administration in achieving a comprehensive strategy that will foster cross-agency collaboration and partnership, since a government-wide commitment is required to achieve meaningful reform. UnidosUS stands ready to support this effort and to hold the government accountable for real progress.”