April 25, 2007

The clock is ticking! Will you be on time to respond? Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently announced that he has set aside 2 weeks in mid-May for floor debate on immigration reform. Although a bill has yet to be introduced in the Senate, we understand that Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) has been busy in negotiations with Senate Republicans in an effort to craft bipartisan legislation.

Influencing the debate, the White House and other administration officials have been actively meeting and weighing in with congressional Republicans. Although President Bush has underlined the need to engage in a "serious and civil and conclusive debate" and address the complex issue of immigration in "good faith", a proposal circulated by the White House last month called for exorbitant fees that would put legalization and citizenship far out of reach for millions of immigrants, a guest worker program with no option for permanent residency, and drastically scaled back family-reunification visas that would keep the families of countless immigrant workers divided.

Obviously, these are NOT components of fair and just reform, nor will they will offer a safe, legal and dignified way for migrants to enter the United States.Please Take Action! As the Senate's debate of immigration reform looms near, it is important that your senators hear from you! They listen to you more than Washington-based advocates; after all, you hire them!

Call your senators to let them know that you support just and humane immigration policies that encompass the following principles:

• Safe Border Communities: We need effective oversight mechanisms to support community security, accountability and rights on the border.
• Family Unity: Family reunification should be the cornerstone of our immigration system. Family unity is one of the main factors driving migration. Burdensome processes, restrictive laws, and lengthy bureaucratic delays force family members to make dangerous, and sometimes deadly, decisions to cross in remote stretches of the U.S./Mexico border
• Path to Citizenship: Any plan should include opportunities for undocumented migrants currently living in the United States to receive work permits and eventually be eligible for permanent residence and citizenship.
• Robust Worker Protections: We need safe, legal and dignified channels for migrants to enter the United States to fill available jobs, accompanied by adequate provisions to protect the wages and working conditions of all migrant and U.S. workers.

To find your senators' phone numbers, click on www.senate.gov (see the "Find your Senators" in the upper right hand corner) or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask to be transferred to your senators' offices.