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Friends Committee on National Legislation - A Quaker Lobby in the Public Interest
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**Immigration: Ask Congress to Fix the Broken System**
Congressional leaders will
decide in the next few weeks whether to fix the broken immigration system. Will they move ahead with comprehensive immigration
reform or accept the argument of naysayers that real reform is impossible in this election year? You may be the answer to
that question. The outcome of this decision will depend in part on how much support they see for real immigration reform legislation
that has already been introduced.
The best bill we see out there right now is Illinois Representative Luis Gutierrez's
comprehensive immigration reform legislation (H.R. 4321). It would promote family unity, bring undocumented immigrants out
of the shadows, and uphold the human and civil rights of immigrants. Right now, that legislation has 93 cosponsors. If 40
more representatives agree to become cosponsors in the next few weeks, congressional leaders are more likely to make immigration
reform a priority this year. Our goal is 130 cosponsors by mid-March.
*Take Action*
Enter your
zip code to find out if your representative has already cosponsored H.R. 4321: http://action.fcnl.org/r/113478/29573/0. If your representative has, please send a thank-you and ask that he or she continue to work to bring comprehensive immigration
reform to a vote this year. If your representative isn't a cosponsor, please ask her or him to take that step.
*Background*
Few people dispute that the U.S. immigration system is broken and inhumane. Families wait as long
as two decades to be reunited with loved ones. Workers risk deportation for complaining about wage theft. Immigrants languish
in jail-like detention centers without the right to a lawyer. FCNL is joined in supporting comprehensive immigration reform
this month by other groups that are part of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition, such as the American Friends Service Committee
and Sojourners, as well as the National Association of Evangelicals and Faith in Public Life. This month the coalition is
coordinating more than 100 prayer vigils across the country and just delivered hundreds of thousands of postcards to Congress
calling for comprehensive immigration reform.
Find out more about the Gutierrez bill with FCNL's easy-to-read
explanation: http://action.fcnl.org/r/113479/29573/0.
See FCNL's press release congratulating Rep. Gutierrez when the bill was introduced: http://action.fcnl.org/r/113480/29573/0.
Stay up-to-date with what's happening!
*Join FCNL's immigration network email list (you'll get 1
email a month): http://action.fcnl.org/r/113481/29573/0.
*Check out our immigration blog, Immigration: It's Our Community: http://action.fcnl.org/r/113482/29573/0.
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----- Original Message ----- Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 5:11 PM Subject: JFI update
| JFI
update | Take Action! | | | | | Dear JFI participants: I wanted to update you on recent activities with the Justice for Immigrants campaign. There have been many developments
since our last update. First, we are continuing to send out postcards to dioceses for the JFI postcard campaign.
To date, we have received orders for over one million sheets of postcards (3 postcards per sheet) from dioceses throughout
the country. If you or your parish want to participate in the postcard campaign, please contact your local diocese about
how to get involved. If your local diocese is not yet involved, please urge them to become involved. We need to
produce as many postcards as possible, so that Congress feels support for the passage of immigration reform. Another
way to participate in the postcard campaign is to go the new JFI website at www.justiceforimmigrants.org, where you can send an electronic postcard directly to your Representative or Senator. The new website includes an
updated parish kit and other informational items for your use. On the policy and political front, President Obama
included immigration reform as a priority during his State of the Union speech to Congress January 27, stating that Congress
should continue "the work of fixing our broken immigration system - to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and ensure
that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation." During the days following
the speech, Administration officials confirmed the President's commitment to passing immigration reform this year. At
the same time, both Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) confirmed their intention to address immigration
reform this year. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), with whom Senator Schumer is working to draft a bipartisan bill, also
made positive comments recently about passing immigration reform. "In an interview with Atlantic Monthly, Senator
Graham expressed his support for a legalization program: What I would like to see is the illegal immigrant population come
out of the shadows, be biometrically identified, be required to learn English, pay the fines for their crime, and get right
with the law. If they want to be a citizen, get in the back of the line, not break into line." It is
expected that immigration reform legislation could be introduced in the U.S. Senate as early as March. On Sunday, March
21, faith and immigrant advocacy groups will stage a huge pro-immigration reform rally on the Washington Mall. More
information on the rally and how you can participate will be forthcoming. JFI team |
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| Justice for Immigrants Postcards | Take Action! | | | | Immigration reform legislation may soon be considered Congress. Help us show your Senators and Representatives
that Catholics and other supporters of immigrants want our elected officials to enact meaningful and compassionate immigration
reform.
Click on the "Go" or "Take Action" button to fill out and send your postcards to your
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*Please Forward Widely...Add to your Website, Facebook, etc! We need 1,000 Signatures by 5pm!!!*
YOU CAN JOIN IN THE EFFORT TO BRING JEAN MONTREVIL HOME! WE GOT
86 SIGNATURES OVERNIGHT! LET'S KEEP
THE PRESSURE ON...SIGN & PASS ON!!! At a rally attended by over a hundred people
outside the Varick Street Immigrant Detention Center, eight clergy and two community leaders were arrested after stopping
traffic for a half hour to prevent vans from transporting new immigrant detainees to the center. The participants called
for the release of detained immigrant rights leader, and father of four US-born children, Jean Montrevil. They also demanded
reform of draconian immigration laws that cause separation of families. ***SIGN THE PETITION NOW: http://www.change.org/actions/view/petition_demanding_release_of_immigrant_rights_leader_jean_montrevil***
PETITION TARGETS: The
President of the United States, The U.S. Senate and The U.S. House
SIGN THE PETITON TO: (1) FREE JEAN NOW! Bring him back to his family
in Brooklyn, NY (more on Jean Montrevil's case: http://newsanctuarynyc.jean.php) (2) Stand in solidarity with
hunger strikers in Miami (FL), York Co. (PA) and many others around the country (more on Fast for Our Families: http://www.fastforourfamilies.org/) (3) Endorse the Child Citizen Protection Act (HR 182) (more
on the bill: http://www.familiesforfreedom.org/httpdocs/americankids.html) (4) Support immigration reform that keeps families together and
maintains the human dignity of all immigrant families
Here
is how to put the petition on your Facebook page:
1) Go to the petition page:
www.change.org/actions/view/petition_demanding_release_of_immigrant_rights_leader_jean_montrevil
2) Toward the bottom of the page above where the petition boxes for your name are, there's a button that says
"fShare." Click on that and it will get you a dialog box to "Publish" the petition to your Facebook "wall."
3) You can write your own intro comments in the box and then click on "Publish." Your introduction and
the petition link will then be on your FB Wall. -- NEW SANCTUARY COALITION - NYC 239 Thompson Street New York, New York 10012 phone (new!) #646 395 2925 fax #212 995 0844 http://www.newsanctuarynyc.org ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Wednesday, January 06, 2010 1:07 PM Subject: Step 2: "We,
the undersigned organizations...!"
Dear Sanctuary friends,
We urgently need to show ICE and our elected officials
what we already know - that we have a broad base of national support behind us!
Step 1 for today is the e-petition we just sent out. We are at 385 signatures
and counting. We need 1,000 signatures by the end of the day.
For Step
2, we need ORGANIZATIONS to show their support
by signing on to the statement below. Local, National, Religious, Political - We need them all!
What organizations do YOU know? Please Reach Out and Urge Them to Sign TODAY!!!
There are 4 ways Organizations Can Show Their Support:
1. *Sign
on to the statement below* (ideally by TODAY, as we need the list of signatories for tomorrow's press release)
2. Speak/Bring representation to tomorrow's rally at Varick Street (waiting on electeds to finalize
time).
3. Share e-petition with members, allies.
4. Bonus: Do they
want to be more involved in our campaign? And do they know any elected officials who would want to be part of this?
Organizational Sign on Statement in Support of Jean Montrevil "We, the undersigned organizations, support the campaign to free human rights
advocate and nationally renowned immigrant rights leader Jean Montrevil. We call upon Immigration & Customs
Enforcement (ICE) to immediately release Mr. Montrevil from detention, grant him deferral of removal and return him to his
family in Brooklyn. Mr. Montrevil entered the U.S. from Haiti in 1986 as a legal permanent resident. ICE
is trying to de-legalize him for a 1989 drug conviction, for which he served 11 years. He has kept an exemplary
record ever since. Mr. Montrevil is married to a U.S. citizen and has four U.S. citizen children who need
him here to raise them and provide for their well being. In Mr. Montrevil’s case we recognize the struggles of
millions of families who are ensnared in the devastating realities of a broken immigration system. We affirm the
need for greater discretion in the immigration system that will keep families together. We will continue to fight for such
reforms in the name of Mr. Montrevil and the millions like him across the nation until all families win justice." *Send names of endorsing organizations to Steven
at stevenyonglee@gmail.com* ***Thank
you for being such an amazing community of advocates! Jean sends his love...***
--
NEW SANCTUARY COALITION - NYC
239 Thompson Street
New York, New York 10012
phone (new!) #646 395 2925
fax #212 995 0844
http://www.newsanctuarynyc.org
Friends Committee on National Legislation
- A Quaker Lobby in the Public Interest
ABOUT
US: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104633/29573/0 | DONATE: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104634/29573/0 | CONTACT US: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104635/29573/0
Dear Joseph Volker,
Immigration reform is around the corner and we're looking to
you in New York for support. On June 24, 2009, Senator Charles Schumer announced the core principles for his upcoming bill
on comprehensive immigration reform: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104636/29573/0. Since then, Senator Schumer has continued to work for
immigration reform in his capacity as chair of the immigration subcommittee for the Senate Judiciary Committee, by holding
hearings and drafting legislation. FCNL staff members have attended those hearings, submitted testimony for the record, and
met with Senator Schumer's staff: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104637/29573/0.
Senator Schumer plans to introduce his bill in January and we hope that when he does
you will join us in urging him to include the following elements:
Keep families together. Senator Schumer has said that "family reunification is a cornerstone
value of our immigration system." At FCNL, we recognize the critical role of family in the development of healthy individuals
and communities. Today, many immigrants must wait years or even decades to be reunited with their close loved ones. We urge
Senator Schumer to make family unity a priority.
Bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. Senator Schumer intends for undocumented immigrants to
"submit to a rigorous process of converting to legal status and earning a path to citizenship." If the goal is
to integrate immigrants fully into the community, then immigrants who come forward to regularize their status should not
face harsh punishment. FCNL would support reasonable requirements for legalization such as background checks, paying any
unpaid taxes, and participating in English classes.
Protect immigrants' human and civil rights. Senator Schumer says that "a primary goal of comprehensive
immigration reform must be to dramatically curtail future illegal immigration." At FCNL, we are concerned that recent
enforcement measures, such as the increasing practice of detaining immigrants in jail-like settings, have led to human and
civil rights abuses. We hope you will urge Senator Schumer to protect the human and civil rights of all immigrants, including
the right to a fair day in court.
In
early 2010, FCNL will have a real window of opportunity to pass legislation to fix the broken immigration system and we
will be looking for your support in lobbying Senator Schumer: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104638/29573/0. This is the best chance we'll have in the near future
to humanely reform this system, which disrupts the lives of so many each day. Join FCNL to discuss how we can get our communities
geared up to tell Senator Schumer that humane immigration reform can't wait. Email Rebecca Sheff at rebecca@fcnl.org to join the FCNL Immigration Network. You'll receive regular updates on
immigration reform.
Change is possible
- now it's time to work together to make it a reality.
In peace,
Ruth
Flower
Assoc. Executive Secretary for Legislative
Program
P.S. Looking for more information? Take a look at the FCNL website: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104639/29573/0 or visit FCNL's blog, "Immigration: It's Our Community" for news updates, legislative analysis, and stories on
immigration: http://action.fcnl.org/r/104640/29573/0.
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Friends Committee on National Legislation | 245 2nd Street NE Washington, DC 20002 | www.fcnl.org | 800-630-1330
IDEAS YOU CAN USE *How to Welcome Immigrants
Several people asked this question at our recent lunch at 1st Baptist Church of
Riverhead on how to teach and preach about immigration issues. Here are several ideas we surfaced:
--You might offer English as a Second Language classes, for which there is a tremendous
desire among immigrants and not nearly enough classes.
--You might ask those who attend such classes to teach Spanish as a Second Language or other languages in your
congregation.
--Volunteers from your congregation
might offer English Conversation for an hour once or twice a week, to help immigrants who already know some English to become
more proficient—an option that does require ESL teacher training, just a willingness to chat with new neighbors.
--You might consider offering bilingual worship occasionally
or starting a worship service in another language. The new LICC directory will include an updated list of all such service
we have found thus far, which will give you a clue whether your community might need such a worship service.
--You might offer to share your sanctuary with an immigrant
congregation that needs space. The LICC often helps match those who need space with those who would be glad to have someone
else use it—and to help maintain the building.
--You could post an “Immigrants Welcome Here” sign--Kirby Einhorn at Long Island Wins (kirbyliw@gmail.com)
would be glad to send you some.
*************************************************************************************
Dear Sanctuary friends,
It was
good to see many of you at last week's coalition-wide retreat. Our facilitator Sister Mary was struck by the heart-felt
passion we brought to our conversations. We are truly a force to be reckoned with!
We extend congratulations and gratitude to our newly elected leadership team:
Co-Chairs Joe Chen (founding sanctuary father) and Rev. Donna Schaper (Judson Memorial Church), and Treasurer, Rev. Mark
Marsh (Victoria Congregational Church).
We
have many important actions awaiting us this month - Hope to see you there!
Vigil Outside Varick Street Detention Center
Friday,
11/13, 7pm-8pm
Here's a message from Matthew, one of the vigil organizers:
"I encourage you all to attend our next monthly vigil if you
can, and bring a friend. We had one in October and the numbers were quite small. These vigils, while quiet and lasting only
an hour, are the most consistent form of protest we have, and I believe it's important to keep showing our faces to those
of Homeland Security and the general public as the winter darkness rolls in. Let's gear up for another season of stomping
our feet in the cold, in honor of our imprisoned brothers and sisters."
To learn more about our city's Varick St. Detention Center, read last week's disturbing NY Times article. The detention center is located at 201 Varick
St, at Houston St (1 train to Houston St).
Families for Freedom Fundraiser Party!
Friday, 11/13, 7pm-11pm
We are forever indebted to the support
and friendship that Families for Freedom extends to us, so showing up at their party is the least we can do! And if
that's not enough, they'll be honoring our dear friends from the Sanctuary Committee of First Presbyterian Church.
Go to http://familiesforfreedom.org/ for all the details.
The fundraiser
will be held at Judson Memorial Church, 239 Thompson St, btwn W. 3rd and W 4th, Manhattan. (A 10-minute walk from
the Varick St. vigil!)
Town Hall on Judicial Discretion:
ALL Immigrants Deserve a Fair Day in Court!
Saturday, 11/14, 11am-1pm
Join families affected by deportation, advocates, judges, lawyers and NY Elected
officials to bring public awareness around the importance of judicial discretion in deportation hearings! Where: STAR Senior Center, 650 West 187th Street
(between Wadsworth and Broadway, A train to 190 St, 1 to 191st) Co-sponsors: Northern Manhattan for Immigrant Rights, Breakthrough, Centro
Altagracia de Fe y Justicia, Families for Freedom, the Immigrant Defense Project, and the NY Civil Liberties Union
Child
Citizen Protection Act Forum
Wednesday, 11/18, 7pm
From Vanessa of St. Ignatius Church:
"St. Ignatius' Social Justice Committee is holding
a Child Citizen Protection Act Forum, featuring sanctuary mother Fatoumata and Janis Rosheuvel of Families for Freedom. If
you are able, please come and support these two wonderful women. Everyone will have an opportunity to send a letter
to their legislators in support of the legislation. Thank you in advance for your support."
St. Ignatius Loyola Church (in the Parish Meeting Room)
84th and Park Avenue
(For more information on the Child Citizen Protection
Act, click here.)
--
NEW
SANCTUARY COALITION - NYC
239 Thompson Street
New York, New York 10012
phone (new!) #646 395 2925
fax #212 995 0844
http://www.newsanctuarynyc.org
 | | | | Justice For Immigrants Action Alert | Take Action! | | Ask Your Senators to Include Immigrants in Health-care | | | Background: On November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed health-care reform
legislation which permits undocumented immigrants to access health-care coverage using their own funds. The legislation also
provides subsidies to legal immigrants who make up to 400 percent of the poverty level to help them purchase health-care.
The legislation did not lift the five-year ban on legal immigrants accessing federal health-care programs such as Medicaid. The
U.S. Senate must now take up health care legislation. In legislation passed by the Senate Finance Committee, undocumented
immigrants are barred from purchasing health care in the new health care exchange, even if they use their own money. The Senate
bill also does not lift the five-year bar on legal immigrants accessing Medicaid, impacting about 600,000 legal immigrants
per year. The Senate has yet to "merge" the bills reported out by various Senate committees into one bill. Action:
We must communicate to our Senators that immigrants should not be left out of health-care coverage. We must urge them to: - Permit undocumented immigrants to use their own
money to purchase health-care coverage in the new health-care exchange; and
- Lift
the five-year ban on legal immigrants accessing federal means-tested health programs such as Medicaid.
Please
call (202-224-3121) or write your Senators (U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510) with the above message. Below please
find talking points and a sample letter for your use. TALKING POINTS: - I
ask that you support the inclusion of immigrants in health-care legislation now being considered by the U.S. Senate. Specifically,
I ask that you support permitting undocumented persons to use their own money to purchase health-care coverage through the
new health-care exchange. I also ask that you support lifting the five-year bar on legal immigrants accessing health care
through the Medicaid program.
- By permitting undocumented immigrants to purchase health-care
coverage, the cost of health-care for all Americans will decrease. They will be able to access preventive care, thus reducing
uncompensated care costs passed through to Americans in higher insurance rates or taxes. Immigrants are younger and healthier
than U.S. citizens, and thus will pay into the system without using health-care services as U.S. citizens.
- Legal
immigrants, who work and pay taxes, should be able to access the programs they help pay for. Poor immigrants near the poverty
level will be unable to afford health-care coverage, even if they do qualify for subsidies provided in the bill. Co-pays and
deductibles make purchasing health-care a burden on working poor legal immigrant families, who have to purchase other necessities
to support their families.
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VATICAN
CITY, 3 NOV 2009 (VIS) - This morning in the Holy See Press Office the Sixth World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants
and Refugees was presented. The event - due to be held in the Vatican from 9 to 12 November - has as its theme: "A
pastoral response to the phenomenon of migration in the era of globalisation. Five years after the Instruction 'Erga Migrantes
Caritas Christi'". The press conference was attended by Archbishops Antonio
Maria Veglio and Agostino Marchetto, respectively president and secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care
of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, and by Msgr. Novatus Rugambwa, under secretary of the same dicastery.
"Globalisation", said Archbishop Veglio, "has created a new labour market and, consequently, forced
many to emigrate, also in order to flee from poverty, misery, natural catastrophes and local and international conflicts,
as well as from political or religious persecution. This has opened markets to international intervention, but it has not
torn down the walls of national boundaries to allow the free circulation of people, even with due respect for the sovereignty
of States and their constitutional charters, safeguarding legality and security". "Specific
pastoral care in relation to migrants is summarised in the value of welcome. This must be shown to people of various nationalities,
ethnicity and religion and helps to make the authentic face of the Church visible. For such a pastoral care to be effective,
co-operation between the migrants' Churches of origin, transit and arrival is fundamental".
"The present globalised world", he concluded, "calls the Church to face, day by day, the causes of
migration and the consequences it has in the lives of migrants and local people. The Church is close to migrants, especially
to the victims of human trafficking, to refugees, to asylum seekers, and to the people who undergo the drama of human mobility.
She is called to defend their cause in various contexts, also through collaboration in promoting adequate laws, at the local
and international levels, that favour proper integration". For his part, Archbishop Marchetto
outlined the programme of the forthcoming congress, which will begin at 8 a.m. on 9 November with Mass in the Vatican Basilica
presided by Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. During the opening session the participants will be received
in audience by the Holy Father, while the afternoon of the first day will be dedicated to the theme of population movements,
both as cause and effect of globalisation. The morning of 10 November will be devoted to
the question of youth pastoral care among migrants and refugees, and co-operation with Churches of origin and arrival. The
afternoon of 10 November and the morning of 11 November will be dedicated to the subject of dialogue and collaboration as
they relate to the theme of the congress. Also on 11 November attention will turn to the
questions of the "needs and challenges of ecumenical and inter-religious co-operation in the current situation of migrants
and refugees (experience of the ecclesial movements)", and "co-operation between the Church and civil institutions
for the wellbeing of migrants and refugees". The afternoon of the same day will see a round table discussion on "the
pastoral care of migrants and refugees in prison and in detention camps". The day will conclude with the Festival of
Peoples. The congress will come to a close on 12 November with the presentation of the final document.
Msgr. Rugambwa's remarks focused on the participants in the congress who will number 320 and include members and
consultors of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, delegates from episcopal commissions
on all continents, members of religious congregations and institutes, ecclesial associations and movements. Four fraternal
delegates are also due to participate, from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Anglican Communion, the World
Council of Churches, and the World Lutheran Federation. Msgr. Rugambwa also announced that
the congress will be attended by the director general of the International Organisation for Migration, and by representatives
from the UN High Commission for Refugees and from the International Labour Office. Delegates from international Catholic
organisations such as Caritas Internationalis have also been invited to attend. OP/MIGRANTS CONGRESS/VEGLIO
VIS 091103 (710
The Catholic bishops renew our appeal to provide
equity for legal immigrants in access to health care. This can be accomplished, in part, by repealing the five-year ban for
legal immigrants to access Medicaid; repealing the applicability of "sponsor-deeming" for Medicaid and CHIP; and
ensuring that pregnant women in the United States, who will be giving birth to children who are United States citizens, are
eligible along with their unborn children for health care regardless of their immigration status. Immigrants pay the same
taxes as citizens and their health needs cannot be ignored. Leaving them outside a reformed system is both unfair and unwise.
~ US Conference of Catholic Bishops
******************************************************************************
| Support
Equal Rights for Farm Workers
Farm workers are excluded from most of the laws
that establish worker protections, including overtime pay, employer contributions to the unemployment and workers' compensation
funds, and public health protections like sanitation and housing standards. Farm workers are not even guaranteed a 24-hour
day of rest in each calendar week or collective bargaining rights. Urge your lawmakers and the Governor to support the Farm
Worker Fair Labor Practices Act today.
By recognizing the rights of farm workers and the unique contributions of
agriculture, New York can develop policies which bring economic fairness, safety, and dignity to the production of agricultural
goods from which we all benefit. Please go HERE to send a fully editable message to Governor Paterson and your state legislators. Just complete the required form and send.
Thank you for standing up for fair labor practices for farm workers.
|
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| Action Alert: Support
the DREAM Act | Take Action! | | Call and/or write Congress and Tell Them to Support the DREAM Act. | | | Background:
On March 26, 2009, Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) introduced the Development, Relief, and Education
for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), S.729. A nearly identical bill (H.R. 1751) was introduced in the House by Representatives
Howard Berman (D-CA), Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA). The DREAM Act permits certain immigrant
students who have grown up in the United States to adjust to temporary legal status and eventually obtain permanent resident
status provided that they attend college or enter the U.S. military. This bill would apply to students in public and private
schools, including Catholic schools. The premise of DREAM is that immigrant youth should not be hindered from working towards
a more promising future solely because they were brought to the United States by their parents at a young age without legal
status. DREAM seeks to provide these students a fair chance to earn citizenship and to contribute to the country they call
home. Action: Your action is needed
to help pass the DREAM Act. Efforts have been made to pass this important legislation since 2001, and DREAM failed in 2007
by only a few votes in the Senate. DREAM does enjoy support from members of both parties and is backed by President Obama.
However, significant grassroots momentum is needed in the coming months to overcome opposition and ensure that DREAM becomes
law. Please CALL and/or WRITE your representative or senator today and ask them to co-sponsor the DREAM Act (S.729 / H.R.1751).
Talking points and a sample letter follows. Capitol Hill Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
TTY: (202) 225-1904 TALKING POINTS:
- I am calling to ask Senator/Representative to co-sponsor or support the Development,
Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM, S. 729, H.R. 1751). The DREAM Act would permit immigrant youth who have
graduated high school, are at least fifteen years of age, and have lived in the United States five years, to apply for permanent
residence, provided they complete two years of college or served two years in the military. It also would permit states to
offer these young persons in-state tuition without restriction.
- These young persons came to
the United States as children with their parents, so did not enter the United States illegally on their own accord. They know
no other homeland than the United States, and want the opportunity to offer their skills and leadership to our nation. We
would be foolhardy not to give them that opportunity.
- I urge you to cosponsor this legislation,
which could help 65,000 students per year come out of the shadows and pursue their futures.
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| A clear message as the attacks continue |
Marcello Lucero//LI Wins Link
Bob Keeler on Immigration
United Farm Workers
Want to do somwething that
will make a difference. Ask your Pastor to put this poster
up, ask your store manager,& why not put one in your window. Click on LI Wins or the picture for a copy or print
it out.
The detention of hundreds of thousands of immigrants every year in the United States
represents a violation of human rights, Amnesty International USA said in a report on Wednesday. On an average day, the rights
group said, more than 30,000 immigrants are in detention facilities. That's triple the number that were in custody a decade
ago, according to Amnesty's report "Jailed Without Justice: Immigration Detention in the USA." "America
should be outraged by the scale of human rights abuses occurring within its own borders," said Larry Cox, director of
Amnesty International USA.
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IF
YOU WANT TO HELP CONTACT
Luis Valenzuela,
Executive Director
Long Island Immigrant Alliance Long Island Immigrant Alliance 143
Schleigel Blvd., Amityville, NY 11701 631
789-0720
immigrationalliance@yahoo.com
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Adelphi study says immigrants boost LI economyBY DAVE MARCUS |
dave.marcus@newsday.com - October 20, 2008
Immigrants contribute $10.6 billion a year to Long Island's economy by increasing productivity, generating new business and paying taxes, according to a study to be released today
by Adelphi University's Center for Social Innovation.
While many Long Islanders have said that immigrants drain
government resources, the study says they contribute $2,305 more per person in taxes and government fees than they use in
schools, health care and law enforcement. It found that spending by immigrants - those who are legal residents as well as
those who are undocumented - leads to creation of about 82,000 jobs a year.
Funded by the Hagedorn Foundation in
Port Washington, the study is believed to be the first in-depth look at the economic impact of immigrants from all nationalities
on Long Island. The author, Mariano Torras, is a professor of economics at Adelphi University and a fellow at the University
of Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies. He analyzed census figures beginning in 1980, government budgets and other
data.
Contradicting the critics
While the report doesn't mention
those who have been critical of illegal immigrants, it does seek to contradict their arguments. One goal of the Hagedorn Foundation
is reduction of tensions between established residents and immigrants.
"The results should blunt these criticisms,"
Torras said yesterday, "but I'm also aware of the realities that in these kinds of political economic controversies
both sides have their minds made up and find reasons to discredit findings they don't agree with."
Rep.
Peter King (R-Seaford), who had not seen the report yesterday, said he has read some nationwide reports emphasizing the economic
benefits of undocumented immigrants and other reports emphasizing the costs. "But economics aside, from the security
and the social points of view, we have to control who is in the country. This country has to get control of its border."
Reshaping the Island
The study also shows how immigrants are reshaping the face of Long Island.
As older residents moved away or died and their children settled elsewhere in the past 2 1/2 decades, the Island would have
lost population if not for immigrants, Torras found.
Among other findings about Long Island:
The immigrant
population more than doubled since 1980 to just over 465,000 residents. Immigrants now make up 16 percent of the general population.
More than 85 percent of immigrants who arrived here before 1980 are now U.S. citizens.
More than half of
all immigrants arriving since 2000 are from Latin America. El Salvador contributes by far the most immigrants to Long Island
- more than 44,000.
As of 2000, almost 70 percent of the Island's Asians were born outside the United States.
Hempstead, Freeport, and Elmont in Nassau County and Brentwood in Suffolk are by far the Island's four largest immigrant communities and home to more
than 13 percent of the immigrants.
More than 46 percent of Long Island's immigrants are in the "prime
working age" category of 18 to 44, compared with less than one-third of the rest of the population.
All immigrant
groups contribute more in taxes and government fees than they use in services, or what economists call a "net benefit."
The extent varies widely: Asians contributed a net benefit of $3,249 per person in 2006; non-Hispanic white immigrants contributed
$4,059; Hispanic immigrants, $842; and black immigrants, $789. Get breaking news | Most popular stories | Dining and Travel deals all via e-mail! Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Our Lady of Guadalupe Liturgy for Immigrants
We are one human family, whatever our national, racial, ethnic,
economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever they may be. Loving
our neighbor has global dimensions and requires us to eradicate racism and address the extreme poverty and disease plaguing
so much of the world. Solidarity also includes the Scriptural call to welcome the stranger among us - including immigrants
seeking work, a safe home, education for their children, and a decent life for their families. ~Faithful
cITIZENSHIP USCCB *************************************************
UNA JORNADA DE ESPERANZA
Desde su fundación, Los Estados Unidos han recibido inmigrantes de todo el
mundo, quienes han encontrado oportunidades y refugio seguro en una nueva tierra. El trabajo, los valores y la creencia de
inmigrantes de todo el mundo han transformado a Los Estados Unidos de ser un grupo de colonias, a convertirse en una de las
principales democracias en el mundo actual. Desde su fundación al día de hoy, Los Estados Unidos siguen siendo una nación
de inmigrantes basada en la firme creencia que los recién llegados ofrecen energía nueva, esperanza y diversidad cultural.
Nuestra fe común en Jesucristo nos lleva a la búsqueda de alternativas que
favorecen a un espíritu de solidaridad. Es una fe que supera fronteras y nos hace vencer todas las formas de discriminación
y violencia para que podamos construir relaciones de justicia y de amor.
Pope
Benedict XVI urged the nation's Roman Catholic bishops and cardinals ......to support new immigrants to the United States.
"I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share
their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish in their new home," the pope
said during a prayer service at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Meditation PAX CHRISTI
…..REFLECTING PEACE & JUSTICE …when
there are just reasons in favor of it, a person must be permitted to emigrate to other countries and take up residence there.
The fact that he is a citizen of a particular state does not deprive him of membership in the human family…Pacem in Terris, Pope JohnXXIII …the illegal immigrant comes before us as a stranger within whom Jesus asks to be recognized.
To welcome him and to show him solidarity is a duty of hospitality and fidelity to Christian identity itself. ~ Pope John Paul II ************************************************************************
WELCOMING THE STRANGER~USCCB
Immigration Infusion Training
IMMIGRATION BROCHURE
Welcome/ Bienvenidos
Prayer Service for Immigrants
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