Urge your Senators to Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform Instead!

Background

In recent years, HIAS has been an active voice in support of efforts to
resolve the complex problems associated with undocumented migration, a
process known as Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR). These problems
include: the existence of 11 million individuals living in the United
States without legal status; the dangerous reality of unauthorized
border crossings that has resulted in thousands of deaths and
increasingly violent conditions in the border regions; and the
extensive backlogs in family immigration visas that cause prolonged and
inhumane separation of families. Further, the existence of such a large
shadow society severely hinders the United States’ pressing security
needs, which require the government to target enforcement resources on
individuals who pose grave dangers to the country.

Members of both the House of
Representatives and the Senate have put forth legislation aimed at
achieving Comprehensive Immigration Reform. HIAS supports the
bi-partisan, bi-cameral piece of legislation known as the Secure
America and Orderly Immigration Act (S. 1033/ H.R. 2330), sponsored by
Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and
Representatives Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Luis Gutierrez
(D-IL). This legislation addresses all of the central aspects of CIR
and has received widespread support from immigration advocates,
faith-based groups, and business leaders.

However, instead of pursuing a comprehensive approach, the House chose
to act in a piecemeal fashion, recently passing harmful anti-immigrant
legislation aimed solely at border security and interior immigration
enforcement. This legislation—the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and
Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 (H.R.4437)—was introduced by
House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) on
December 6, 2005, and passed the full House by a vote of 239-182 less
than two weeks later.

This misguided
and harmful legislation would dramatically affect the lives of legal
immigrants, citizens, and business owners, while ignoring the serious
problems associated with undocumented migration. For example, if
enacted, this legislation would:

• Make any relative, employer, coworker, co-congregant, or friend of an
  undocumented immigrant who provides assistance to that immigrant into
  an “alien smuggler” and a criminal.
• Make 11 million undocumented immigrants—and legal immigrants who have
  temporary status problems—into criminals who local police can arrest.
  While illegal immigrants are currently subject to deportation, this
  bill would make unlawful status a federal crime and an “aggravated
  felony,” meaning the individual would be barred from reentry to the
  U.S. permanently.
• Increase the detention of asylum seekers and deprive many of them of federal court review.
• Make it harder for legal permanent residents to become citizens by
  keeping information regarding their application secret and preventing
  judicial review of their cases.
• Turn state and local police into immigration agents and thus alienate
  immigrant communities—communities that have an important role to play
  in identifying threats to public safety.

Immigration advocates remain hopeful that the Senate will take a more
comprehensive approach to reform. While HIAS supports the framework of
the Secure America Act, we also welcomed recent CIR legislation
introduced by Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and appreciate the
contributions of Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ), as
well as the Bush Administration, in moving the debate forward. In
addition, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, has signaled his interest in working toward a solution by
preparing a compromise bill that combines elements from the
McCain-Kennedy, Hagel, and Cornyn-Kyl bills. Although advocates find
some of the provisions of the current draft inconsistent with realistic
CIR, Senator Specter has stated that his proposal represents a starting
point for the Senate's debate, and may alter the provisions prior to
consideration in the Judiciary Committee.

Here's How You Can Help:

The Senate is likely to begin consideration of immigration legislation
in early February. It is essential that the Senate not follow the lead
of the House, but instead take a sensible, realistic look at our
current immigration system and consider reforms to best safeguard
security, fulfill labor needs, and remain true to this country's core
humanitarian values.

It is important that your Senators hear
directly from you, as a constituent. Immigration restrictionists are
already mobilizing on this issue and are certain to be lobbying their
Senators to pass anti-immigration legislation. Please support
immigrants and asylum seekers by voicing your support for Comprehensive
Immigration Reform.

Below is a sample
letter for your use or adaptation. Please mail, fax, or email your
appeal, and follow up with a phone call to the office. To find contact
information for your Senators, visit: www.senate.gov.

_______________________

[Date]

Dear Senator [Name]:

In December, the House of Representatives passed harsh,
enforcement-only immigration legislation, with little opportunity for
debate or deliberation. The bill includes a number of harmful
provisions that will drive undocumented immigrants further into the
shadows and deny due process to asylum seekers and other immigrants.

As the Senate begins to consider immigration legislation of its own, I
urge you to stand strongly in support of Comprehensive Immigration
Reform, rather than following the piecemeal approach taken in the
House. In particular, any bill that goes forward should include:

• Border protection policies that are consistent with American
  humanitarian values and effective against illegal migration, thereby
  allowing the authorities to carry out the critical task of identifying
  and preventing entry of terrorists and dangerous criminals.
• An opportunity for hard-working immigrants who are already contributing
  to this country to come out of the shadows, regularize their status
  upon satisfaction of reasonable criteria and, over time, pursue an
  option to become lawful permanent residents and eventually United
  States citizens;
• Reforms in our
  family-based immigration system to significantly reduce waiting times
  for separated families who currently must wait many years to be
  reunited with loved ones; and
• The creation of legal avenues for workers and their families who wish
  to migrate to the U.S. to enter our country and work in a safe, legal,
  and orderly manner with their rights fully protected.

Reforming our broken immigration system will make our country more
secure and address critical migration needs. Please support proposals
that provide for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and oppose those that
simply offer the false promise of an enforcement-only approach to
immigration reform.

Sincerely,

[Name & Address]