NCLR ACTION ALERT: STOP ANTI IMMIGRANT PROVISIONS FROM BECOMING PART OF THE INTELLIGENCE REFORM BILL
BE PART OF A NATIONWIDE CALL-IN WEEK STARTING NOVEMBER 30
Congress is coming back on Dec. 6th in a final effort to vote on an intelligence reform bill, if the conference committee is able to come up with a compromise. We need to make sure that the compromise does not include the bad immigration provisions we have been fighting against. Read to the bottom for a short update on the bill. TAKE ACTION TODAY! Make two calls a day for the next four days: · Tuesday, Nov. 30: Call the White House at (202) 456-1111 and Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) at (202) 225-2976 · Wednesday, Dec. 1: Call Rep. Hoekstra (R-MI) at (202) 225-4401 and Rep. Harman (D-CA) at (202) 225-8220 · Thursday, Dec. 2: Call Sen. Collins(R-ME) at (202) 224-2523 and Sen. Lieberman (D-CT) at (202) 224-4041 · Friday, Dec. 3: Call your own senators and representative. To find your senators' information go to: www.senate.gov/generalcontact_information/senators_cfm.cfm For your representative's information go to: www.house.gov/writerep/ WHAT IS THE MESSAGE? When you call, ask them to: · Keep the anti-immigrant provisions out of the intelligence reform bill. · Support the Senate-led compromise which more closely tracks the recommendations of the 9/11 commission without adding on extraneous immigration measures. · The Senate-led compromise already includes tough border measures and federal standards for driver's licenses which make licenses more secure and make us safer, but does not needlessly scapegoat all immigrants. · Enact the real recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, not the agenda of House immigration restrictionists. The immigration provisions Rep. Sensenbrenner wants would not have prevented the terrorist attacks and will not make us safer. Finally, tell them that we need comprehensive immigration reform--not non-solutions that will only drive people further underground and cause panic among immigrant communities. WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH THE 9/11 BILL? The weekend before Thanksgiving, the Senate members of the conference committee devised a compromise that excluded the worst of the anti-immigrant House provisions but kept several "border security" measures that both bodies could agree on-- mainly an increase in the number of border patrol agents and a mandate for federal agencies to devise minimum standards for driver's licenses. This was not enough for Representative Sensenbrenner (R-WI) who insisted on the inclusion of harsh asylum provisions and additional driver's license provisions that would forbid states to issue licenses to undocumented immigrants and other legal immigrants. He was joined by House Republican Duncan Hunter (R-CA) who objected to shifting intelligence authority and resources from the Pentagon to other agencies. Due to their objections, the compromise was pulled. After the compromise was rejected, the White House promised to engage in a full blown effort to get a bill this year. The conference committee leadership also wants a bill. The pressure is mounting and Representative Sensenbrenner is not backing down. Congress comes back for a short session on Dec. 6th to vote on an intelligence reform bill if the conference committee can come to an agreement. We need to make sure that the White House, conference committee leadership, the majority of conferees and your own senators and representatives (who will have to vote again on the measure) do not give in to Representative Sensenbrenner's demands. Please contact your members of Congress today. TO SEND AN EMAIL OR FAX: You may also send an email or fax to the White House and/or your member of Congress. To do so go to: American Immigration Lawyer's Association: http://www.aila.org/contentViewer.aspx?bc=10,3080,5940 National Council of La Raza: http://capwiz.com/nclr/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6578006 National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageiid=5477 Human Rights First http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/refugees_911bill_whitehouse?source=ga_adv YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY