Support SAOIA because:

• It recognizes the reality behind our broken immigration system. It acknowledges the need for immigrant labor in our economy, and the contributions immigrants make to our society. SAOIA would provide a legal mechanism – temporary work visas – for foreign workers to fill those jobs. Currently, those workers enter the country illegally. Workers would be able to apply for permanent residency after four years.
• It respects the contributions that current migrants make to our economy. There are an estimated 10 to 15 million undocumented workers currently living in the US. It is unrealistic to deport such a large number of productive people from our economy. SAOIA would allow these people to “earn” legal status in the US.
• It helps immigrant families stay together. Many migrant families have been in the US for over a decade, and have undocumented parents but children who were born US citizens. By providing a path to permanent residency for all migrants, it allows these families to come out of the shadows and register for legal visas without separating parents and children. SAOIA also allows new migrants to reunite with their families if they decide to become permanent residents of the US.
• It protects all workers. Migrant workers deserve the same labor protections and salaries that American workers receive for the same work. In treating migrant workers as equals, SAOIA also eliminates the possibility the lower-paid, undocumented labor will undercut American salaries and jobs.
• It can help prevent migrant deaths in the desert. This year, over 385 people have died crossing the US-Mexico border to work in the US. By providing visas to those workers, it will allow them to enter the country in a safe, orderly, and documented fashion. Estimates place the number of undocumented people entering the country at 450,000-500,000 per year. 400,000 visas would be available in the first year, and as many as 825,000 visas by the fifth year. This will reduce the need for desert crossings, and consequently the number of people who die.

Help Make SAOIA better by:

• Insisting that DHS not evaluate its own needs for border security. DHS was supposed to reconfigure and strengthen its border security plan after September 11, 2001. Instead, it asked for more of the same – a strategy that does not stop migrants from entering the US, but rather drives migrants into inhospitable stretches of desert where thousands have died. A review of border security should be conducted by all federal and state agencies that are involved in border security, and the proposed civilian review panel’s recommendations should carry legal weight.
• Strengthening support for economic development in sending countries. SAOIA recognizes that migrants leave home because their native economies cannot provide them with the work or the resources to provide for the basic needs of their families. Strengthening sending countries’ economies is the right thing to do. SAOIA should have explicit mechanisms and funding for economic development in sending nations.
• Provideing for immediate family reunification. SAOIA believes in family unity, but the provision that does not allow a new migrant to bring their family with them until they apply for permanent residency could keep families apart for up to five years. It should allow workers to bring their families to the US when they enter the country.
• Having strong human rights conditions when supporting border security in Mexico and Central America. SAOIA advances the concept of a North American Security Perimeter, but does not recognize that the borders of Mexico and Central America are some of the most dangerous and lawless places in the hemisphere. Corrupt officials in border regions should not be supported or trained, and US support should encourage the strengthening of accountable, professional security forces in border regions.