Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e8FNKP928288; Fri, 15 Sep 2000 19:20:25 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 19:20:25 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <39C2ACF1.DC1B7836@interaccess.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Aliza Becker <alzbec@interaccess.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:5105] Immigration Update Forwarded X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win95; I) Status: O Content-Length: 8425 Lines: 247 National Immigration Forum Date: September 15, 2000 To: Forum Associate E-mail List From: Maurice Belanger Re: NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY ON THE LATINO AND IMMIGRANT FAIRNESS ACT ---------------------------------------------------- Tuesday, September 19th, there will be a national call-in day to urge Congress to pass the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act (in the Senate) or its components--Central American Parity, a change in the registry cutoff date, and the restoration of section 245(i) of the Immigration Act. The call-in day is meant to follow-up on and reinforce visits being made to Congressional offices this week by advocates who have come from all over the country. This call-in day is the second of three call-in days on separate immigration-related topics. This week, hundreds of advocates were in Washington visiting their members of Congress to urge enactment of the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act or its component elements. On Wednesday, lawyers from the American Immigration Lawyers Association were in town, as well as community activists and affected individuals from around the country. The Forum held a press conference demonstrating the broad support of the elements of the Latino and Immigration Fairness Act. Among the speakers were union, business, religious and ethnic leaders. Wednesday afternoon, several members of Congress and community activists from around the country addressed a rally in front of the Capitol. To follow up on all of this attention, and to reinforce the message that Congress should enact the measures contained in the "Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act," we hope you will call in to your Representative and Senators on Tuesday, September 19th. CAPITOL SWITCHBOARD Call your members of Congress between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. You can get the number for your Representative and both of your Senators by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121. The Capitol switchboard can also help you if you aren't sure who represents you. MODEL SCRIPT - For Representatives: Hello, my name is _______ and I live in _______ (town, neighborhood) in your district. I'm calling because I want the Congressman (or woman) to make sure that Congress work with the administration to enact this year three bills that would allow certain defined groups of immigrants to adjust to permanent legal status. H.R. 2722 would provide certain Central Americans and Haitians with treatment equal to that already provided by Congress to Nicaraguans and Cubans. H.R. 4138 would update our immigration laws concerning a provision called "registry." H.R. 1841 would allow persons on the verge of obtaining their immigrant visa to complete the process of obtaining that visa in the United States. Together, these bills provide a measure of fairness for immigrants who are now deeply rooted in this country, and who have become essential workers in our economy. Can I please get a letter outlining the Congressman's (woman's) position on this issue? MODEL SCRIPT - For Senators: Hello, my name is _______ and I live in _______ (town, neighborhood) in your (state). I'm calling because I want the Senator to make sure that Congress work with the administration to enact this year the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act (S. 2912). This bill would allow certain defined groups of immigrants to adjust to permanent legal status. Specifically, the bill would provide certain Central Americans and Haitians with treatment equal to that already provided by Congress to Nicaraguans and Cubans; it would update our immigration laws concerning a provision called "registry;" and it would allow persons on the verge of obtaining their immigrant visa to complete the process of obtaining that visa in the United States. Together, these bills provide a measure of fairness for immigrants who are now deeply rooted in this country, and who have become essential workers in our economy. Can I please get a letter outlining the Senator's position on this issue? WHITE HOUSE COMMENT LINE Then, call the White House comment line at (202) 456-1111 and press 0 to speak with an operator. Leave a message asking President Clinton to push for enactment of the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act. When you are finished, take a few minutes to think about who else might be willing to make calls, and forward this information to them. PLEASE SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CALL-IN DAY AS BROADLY AS POSSIBLE If you have an additional moment, we would also appreciate a brief reply to this message to let us know how your calls went. BACKGROUND In the Senate, the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act (S. 2912) combines three separate measures that target certain groups of immigrants who have broad "equities" in the United States. That is, certain defined groups of immigrants who are already here and already working would be given the opportunity to adjust their status, putting on track for full participation in our society. The three components are: ** Establishing parity for Central Americans to correct for past unequal treatment among different groups of similarly-situated Central American and Caribbean refugees. Some refugees from these regions have been offered an opportunity to adjust to permanent status. Others-equally rooted in our communities with jobs and family-face the prospect of deportation. Immigrants affected by this provision would have become legal residents if a law passed three years ago had treated them equally to refugees here in similar circumstances. In the House, the bill addressing this issue is H.R. 2722, the Central American and Haitian Adjustment Act. ** Updating a provision of immigration law known as "registry" by which our government recognizes that it makes sense to allow long-time resident, deeply-rooted immigrants who are contributing to our economy to remain here permanently. The amendment would change the registry cutoff date so that undocumented immigrants who have been residing in the country since before 1986 would qualify to remain here permanently. Many immigrants affected by this provision have been living in legal limbo for over a decade--ever since being wrongly denied the legal status for which they were qualified in the 1980's after passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. In the House, the bill addressing this issue is H.R. 4138. ** Restoring Section 245(i) of the Immigration Act, a provision of immigration law that sensibly allows persons in the U.S. who are on the verge of gaining their immigration status to remain in the U.S. while completing the process. Individuals affected by this provision are prospective immigrants already in the U.S. and in the process of obtaining their "green cards," but a provision of law now on the books requires these immigrants to leave the country and remain separated from their families for as long as 10 years before being allowed to reenter. In the House, the bill dealing with this issue is H.R. 1841. These provisions do not constitute a "broad amnesty" as detractors claim. In fact, they affect a modest number of individuals who have, for the most part, been here for many years, and are supporting their families, working for American businesses, and paying taxes. Many of the affected individuals, in fact, are here legally, but have been in legal limbo while they have battled in the courts to win a measure of justice to remedy past mistreatment at the hands of the INS. Right now, our country is experiencing a record demand for workers at all levels of the economy. That is why business leaders have joined with labor leaders and immigrant advocates in calling for passage of the provisions contained in the Latino and Immigrant Fairness Act. Normalizing the status of these essential immigrant workers is a matter of common sense and fairness. It will ensure that they continue contributing to our economy and paying their fair share of taxes. More detailed background information can be found on the National Forum's website at: http://www.immigrationforum.org/CurrentIssues/legalization.html ============================== Maurice Belanger Senior Policy Associate National Immigration Forum E-Mail: mbelanger@immigrationforum.org Web: http://www.immigrationforum.org -- Aliza Becker Phone: (773) 267-0746 Fax (773) 478-5091 E-mail alzbec@interaccess.com
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