[AAACE-NLA] A War on Immigrants?

Fri Oct 22 13:35:16 EDT 2004

Tara, Debbie, and other interested folks:

According the National Immigration Law Center, the House/Senate
Conference Committee met on Wed., 10/20 to reconcile the differences
between the House (H.R. 10) and Senate (S. 2845) versions of the bill
that purports to implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations.  Given
that this legislation has been put on the fast track, in part due to the
current administration's eagerness to be seen as taking action on the
Commission's recommendations, I imagine the final version will be
released (and sent to the White House) shortly.

In addition the the great resources referenced by Debbie's posting,
more information on these bills can be found at www.nilc.org, under
"Important Developments."

Ki Kim
World Education

>>> tobrien at vtadultlearning.org 10/22/2004 12:58:45 PM >>>
Thank you, Debbie,  for bringing this to our attention and calling for
advocacy!

Does anyone have any more information on the what is happening with
this or
more detail concerning a time frame for they are trying to push it
through ?

Tara O'Brien

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Debbie Yoho" <dwyoho at earthlink.net>
To: "aaace-nla" <aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org>; "PROLITERACY LIST"
<proliteracyconnect at proliteracylist.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2004 3:20 PM
Subject: [AAACE-NLA] A War on Immigrants?

> This alarming information is from another source--one of my Board
> members--but I think it applies directly to our mission as adult
educators
> and is worth of consideration.  It is certainly a call to advocacy:
>
> ============================================
> Stop HR 10 Before Congress Expands the War on Immigrants!
> Call Congress TODAY! See below for phone numbers
> ============================================
> In the past two weeks, right-wing members of Congress have
> tried to sneak horrible anti-immigrant measures past the
> public. These are not just any bills: If passed, they will
> be the biggest attack on immigrants in almost a decade.
> Recently, both houses passed the "9/11 Commission
> Recommendations Implementation Act." The version passed in
> the House of Representatives -- HR 10 -- includes
> immigration amendments that were never part of the
> Commission's recommendations. Now, without further debate,
> against the wishes of the Commission, and with complete
> disregard for the rights of noncitizens, a group of 21
> Senators and House members will conference behind closed
> doors and decide whether to keep the anti-immigrant
> amendments when it goes to President Bush to be signed into
> law.
> HR 10 would strip the few rights that noncitizens enjoy
> under our Constitution, and tear millions more families
> apart. It would write into law inhumane practices the
> Department of Homeland Security has been using out of the
> public eye and would reverse the few, hard-fought gains in
> immigrant rights won over the last seven years.
> Specifically, the proposed law would:
> - Deny immigrants the right to have a court review a
> deportation order--in effect, suspending habeas corpus for
> the first time since the Civil War (Section 3009)
> - Allow deportations to a country with no government
> (Section 3035)
> - Allow deportations to a country where immigrants fear
> persecution (Section 3009) or torture (Section 3032)
> - Allow more mandatory indefinite detentions (Section 3032)
> - Allows Homeland Security to deport immigrants before
> federal courts have decided on their case (Section 3009)
> - Make it more difficult for people fleeing torture to gain
> asylum (Section 3007)
> - Restrict access to driver's licenses and use of consular
> ID cards (Section 3006)
> As The Washington Post recently editorialized, with the
> elections only weeks away, the Republicans plan "to force
> Democrats either to accept policy they would otherwise
> oppose or to turn against the bill itself -- thereby
> letting Republicans brand them as weak on terrorism." We
> need your help NOW!
> TAKE ACTION: CALL CONGRESS TODAY!
> United for Peace and Justice urges you to take action to
> stop this major escalation of the war on immigrants! So
> far, House staffers have said that they have received 5000
> comments in support of HR 10 and only 15 in opposition to
> it. If we act now, we can change what they are hearing!
> CALL the members of Congress below and tell them:
> "I want you to remove ALL the immigration provisions of
> HR10 from the final 9/11 Commission bill. The immigration
> provisions strip people of basic Constitutional rights, and
> will tear countless families apart without increasing
> national security."
> In order of importance, call:
> 1. Congresswoman Susan Collins from Maine (202-224-2523) -
> She has the most influence over which version of the bills
> pass.
> 2. Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut (202-224-4041) -
> He is the ranking Democrat who needs to be told to stick
> firmly to the Senate bill and reject the House's
> anti-immigrant provisions.
> 3. Senator Mike DeWine (Ohio, 202-224-2315); Congressman
> Sensenbrenner (Wisconsin, 202-225-5101); Senator Graham
> (Florida, 202-224-3041); and Senator Voinovich (Ohio,
> 202-224-3353).
> 4. Your own Congressperson and Senators. You can call the
> Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be
> connected. Or look them up at http://www.house.gov and
> http://www.senate.gov 
> 5. As many of the other members of the Conference
> Committee as you can - these are the only people who will
> be deciding what sections of the bills will stay and what
> will go from the final bill.
> Senate Members of the Conference Committee
> Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey, 202-224-3224
> Norm Coleman, Minnesota, 202-224-5641
> John Sununu, NH, 202-224-2841
> Pat Roberts, Kansas, 202-224-4774
> Trent Lott, Mississippi, 202-224-6253
> Carl Levin, Michigan, 202-224-6221
> Richard Durbin, Illinois, 202-224-2152
> John Rockefeller, West Virginia, 202-224-6472
> House Members of the Conference Committee
> Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., 2nd, 202-225-4401
> Henry Hyde, R-Ill., 6th, 2020225-4561
> David Dreier, R-Calif., 26th, 202-225-2305
> Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., 52nd, 202-225-5672
> Jane Harman, D-Calif., 36th, 202-225-8220
> Ike Skelton, D-Mo., 4th, 202-225-2876
> Robert Menendez, D-N.J., 13th, 202-225-7919
> EMAIL or FAX
> (Go to
>
> http://capwiz.com/aila2/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6540936 
> and write your message in the boxes provided.)
> IF YOU WANT TO DO MORE, contact:
> American Immigration Lawyers Association
> http://www.aila.org/ 
> National Immigration Forum http://www.immigrationforum.org/ 
> Human Rights Watch
> http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/10/06/usdom9469.htm 
> Families for Freedom http://www.familiesforfreedom.org or
> 212-898-4121
> For more info on the bills, Visit
>
> http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=654 
>
>
> Deborah W. Yoho
> Co-moderator, NIFL-Health Listserv
> Past President, SC Adult Literacy Educators
> Executive Director, Greater Columbia Literacy Council
> 2728 Devine Street,  Columbia, SC  29205
> 803-765-2555   Fax  803-779-8417   dwyoho at earthlink.net 
>
>
>
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