| Oppose Harsh Immigration Law
On Tuesday, December 6, 2005, Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin) introduced the Border Enforcement and Immigration Enforcement Act of 2005. The legislation is a sweeping enforcement-only measure which targets legal and illegal immigrants alike and further eviscerates due process protections for immigrants in this nation. Among the harmful provisions in this measure are:
Mandatory detention provisions which would require the detention of all immigrants without status until deportation. Under this provision, vulnerable groups, such as women, children, asylum seekers, and torture survivors would be jailed with in prisons and prison-like detention centers with hardened criminals.
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Makes “unlawful presence” a crime and an aggravated felony for immigration purposes, barring undocumented immigrants from any future legal status and authorizing local law enforcement to arrest these immigrants.
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Grants the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to deny naturalization to legal immigrants on the basis that they are removable on terrorist grounds, without any evidentiary showing to a court or any judicial review.
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Grants DHS and the Department of Justice the authority to deny an immigrant legal benefits for lack of good moral character based on a “discretionary finding or other reasons.” This would allow DHS officers the ability to deny benefits to an immigrant because of physical appearance or demeanor.
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Denies refugees and asylum seekers the opportunity to apply for permanent residency if they are convicted of an aggravated felony, including minor crimes such as shoplifting or other minor theft.
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Increases penalties for smuggling but narrows the definition in a way that church groups and U.S. citizens may be impacted simply for offering humanitarian assistance to an undocumented immigrant.
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Expands the use of expedited removal to within 100 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, giving law enforcement the authority to remove a non-citizen without providing an opportunity for an asylum claim to be heard by a qualified adjudicator.
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Overrules a Supreme Court decision requiring the release of immigrants who cannot be returned to their home countries, keeping them in indefinite detention for life.
Please contact your representative as soon as possible and ask him or her to strongly oppose H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. Attached are a sample letter and talking points. The legislation could be considered on the floor of the House of Representatives as early as December 14th.
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If you prefer to personally call your Representative you can use the following link to find their contact information and use some of the talking points we provide you with. You can also simply use your own talking points if you prefer.
Finally, please inform the media about this important legislation. Encourage members of the media to give informed and balanced coverage on comprehensive immigration reform
* The key Congressional Committees involved with this legislation in the House of Representatives are the following committees:
Members of these committees also need to hear from you, whether you are a constituent or not.
To see the latest up-to-date bill status information on H.R.4437 click here
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From the USCCB
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