NATIONAL LATINO ORGANIZATIONS CALL ON CONGRESS TO VOTE DOWN FINAL PASSAGE OF SENATE IMMIGRATION REFORM MEASURE;
Fatally Flawed Legislation Neither Humane, Fair Nor Practical
Los Angeles, CA – National Latino organizations today released a letter to a number of United States Senators calling on them to reject final passage of the so-called immigration reform measure (S1348), unless the bill, as currently written, is substantially amended. At the same time, the organizations call upon the Senators to vote no on cloture, a parliamentarian maneuver to close debate on the legislation and cause an immediate vote to be taken on the measure.
“We come to these conclusions,” states the letter to Senators, “after much debate, analysis and soul searching. It is our belief that the current reform proposal being offered – unless otherwise amended – hurst the cause of working families while cruelly raising hopes. Collectively, our organizations represent millions of latino workers, voters, and immigrants. We ask for a NO vote on cloture and final passage…”
The letter, which was sent today, was addressed to fifteen Senators including Senators Feingold, Obama, Clinton, Hagel, Biden, Dodd, Durbin, Dorgan, Menendez, Bingaman, Reid, Brown, Wyden, Sanders, and Boxer. The letter was signed by the heads of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA), the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Hispanic Federation, the National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC), National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), the Mexican American Political Association (MAPA), Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana and the William C. Velasquez Institute (WCVI).
“We support amendments to S1348…and urge you to join in totally recrafting S1348. In the event that the Senate is unable to address our profound concerns with S1348 as now drafted, we urge you to vote against its final passage,” concluded the letter.
[A copy of the full text of the letter to Senators follows:]
The undersigned Latino organizations call for a “NO” vote on cloture on S1348, as well as “NO” on final passage.
We come to these conclusions after much debate, analysis and soul searching. It is our belief that the current reform proposal being offered – unless otherwise amended - hurts the cause of working families while cruelly raising their hopes. Collectively, our organizations represent millions of Latino voters, workers, and immigrants. We ask for a “NO” vote on cloture and final passage because of your reputation as a thoughtful Senator with a history of positive relations with our community. We know you will consider our urgent message.
We are convinced that S1348 (as currently written) represents a gigantic step backward not only for immigrants, but for all Americans.
We are aware of pressure to act to “reform” America’s broken immigration system. We appreciate that issues of national security are in question. However, we also know that the “reform” proposed through S1348 worsens, rather than improves the situation for immigrants and America. S1348 neither fixes our broken system, nor secures our country, nor ensures an effective workforce for economic growth, nor provides justice for immigrants.
In particular,
- S1348 would not effectively legalize the ten to twelve million undocumented in America. It’s morass of confusing, burdensome and expensive triggers, eligibility requirements, and costs would preclude the vast majority of undocumented persons from applying and/or navigating/enduring the onerous wait for adjustment of status.
- S1348 is anti-family, will divide hundreds of thousands of families with an untested point system, and is biased against the vast majority of immigrants from Latin America and the Caribbean. It would preclude immigrants from reuniting with legal immigrants and U.S. citizens, either causing family separation or more likely substantially increasing the undocumented population.
- S1348 would create an apartheid-like caste system for guest workers and Z-visa workers in which they can work and pay taxes, but will not possess legal rights and constitutional protections, and will have no effective path to adjustment and/or citizenship.
- S1348 would criminalize future undocumented persons, militarize the U.S. Mexico border with little consideration for the vulnerable northern border and the maritime ports, seriously damage U.S. relationships with immigrant-sending countries, and enable unlimited detention of immigrants. It would drive undocumented persons further underground.
We have consulted with our constituencies on S1348 and have heard their clear and overwhelming rejection of these poison-pill provisions.
If S1348 were enacted into law as currently written, Congress would codify an “apartheid” society with a de-facto permanently excluded (and ever expanding) caste of overwhelmingly non-white (particularly non-white Latin American and Caribbean) workers. Our democracy would be ill served by such an arrangement. America’s most cherished values of justice, equality, fairness, and opportunity would be forever diminished.
We support amendments to S1348 to remedy the above-mentioned flaws. We see these amendments as a unified package, and urge you to join in totally recrafting S1348. We oppose cloture at this point in time and ask your active opposition. Once again, in the event that the Senate is unable to address our profound concerns with S1348 as now drafted, we urge you to vote against its final passage.
Sincerely,
Gabriela Lemus,
Executive Director, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Washington , DC
Rosa Rosales,
National President, League of United Latin American Citizens
San Antonio , TX
Lillian Rodriguez-Lopez
President, Hispanic Federation
Washington, DC
Angela Sanbrano,
President, National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities
Los Angeles , CA
Pablo Alvarado,
National Coordinator,
National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON)
Los Angeles, CA
Nativo Lopez
State/National President, Mexican-American Political Association
& National Director, Hermandad Mexicana Latinoamericana
Los Angeles, CA
Antonio Gonzalez
President, William C. Velasquez Institute
Los Angeles , CA
About the William C. Velasquez Institute
Chartered in 1985, The William C. Velásquez Institute (WCVI) is a non-profit, non-partisan Latino-oriented research and policy think tank with ottices in San Antonio , Texas and Los Angeles , California . For more information regarding WCVI, please visit our website at www.wcvi.org
