“Dangerous and Intrusive” E-Verify Bill Passes House Committee

September 22, 2011

This press release comes from our allies at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum works to create a vision, consensus and strategy that leads to a better, more welcoming America – one that treats all newcomers fairly.

“Dangerous and Intrusive” E-Verify Bill Passes House Committee

Washington, D.C. On September 21, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Legal Workforce Act, legislation that would force all employers to use the E-Verify electronic employment verification system. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, and was passed amid a growing chorus of opposition from conservative, Tea Party, and libertarian groups. Following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.

“Representative Lamar Smith yesterday came a step closer to forcing every American employer to get permission from the government before hiring. His error-ridden ‘no work list’ is expected to cause hundreds of thousands of American workers to lose their jobs.

It is no wonder that opposition to this bill is coming from opponents of big government. Organizations such as the Tea Party Nation, the Liberty Coalition, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and other conservative and libertarian groups have been raising their voices against mandatory E-Verify. To them, the government databases from which we will all be forced to seek permission to work are a thinly-veiled national ID system, and will interfere with the right of Americans to work. Forcing the E-Verify system on small employers will be a jobs killer and it will set a ‘dangerous and intrusive precedent’ for using the hiring process to check Americans for other purposes, such as payment of taxes.

E-Verify will also leave crops rotting in the fields, and that is why Congress has heard loud and clear from agricultural producers. Much of the agricultural work force is undocumented, and forcing growers to use E-very without first legalizing their workers will put many farms out of business. Thousands of jobs that depend on the operation of those farms will be lost.

House Speaker John Boehner should think twice before bringing this bill to the floor. By letting Lamar Smith control the Republican’s immigration agenda, he is not only making it more difficult to attract the Latino vote, but he is increasingly alienating key supporters of his own party, including agricultural interests and opponents of big government.”

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Bipartisan Senate Talks on Immigration Reform Must Yield Legislation

This press release comes from our allies at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
February 8, 2011

Contact:
Katherine Vargas (202) 641-5198

Bipartisan Senate Talks on Immigration Reform Must Yield Legislation

Republican House Should Offer Realistic Solutions Not Obstruction

Washington D.C. - Numerous news outlets have reported that Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have resumed their talks on bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform legislation and are reaching out to various conservative and liberal constituencies to gauge support. The following is a statement from Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum:

“We’re encouraged to hear that Senators Graham and Schumer have resumed their bipartisan talks on comprehensive immigration reform legislation, and we support legislation that creates millions of new taxpayers by requiring undocumented immigrants to register, go through background checks, pay taxes, and study English on their way to becoming full U.S. citizens, that protects workers and helps with economic recovery, keeps families together and protects the due process rights of all.

However, Senators Graham and Schumer have been engaged in “talks” for more than two years. We have yet to see the result - in the form of introduced legislation – from these bipartisan talks. While supportive of their efforts, we believe the time for even more talks has passed. The broken immigration system is a persistent national crisis and serious legislation is long overdue. We hope that these “talks” will not amount to what we have seen the last two years: much anticipated legislation, disappointment, and the perpetuation of the broken status quo.

Meanwhile these same outlets report that the chief obstacle to achieving comprehensive immigration reform is a House of Representatives “controlled by anti-immigrant Republicans” who have vowed to block the DREAM Act or any other path to citizenship. The Republican Party has an important choice to make. Who do they want to be the voice of their party on immigration reform? The anti-immigrant position of some Republican members of the House would be electorally deadly for their party’s presidential nominee in 2012. It’s also shameful for some members to refuse to work on solving a persistent national problem to score cheap political points. Speaker John Boehner should play a prominent leadership role and make this a priority for the House of Representatives.

This crisis requires consistent serious leadership from our elected officials, Republican and Democrat, and it is long past time for the President to elucidate his plan for achieving reform. We look forward to working with the President and leadership in both parties on fair, realistic solutions so that we can solve this problem once and for all.”



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New report examines deficits, lawsuits, and diminished public safety from SB1070-type laws

Salem, Ore.--Last week, State Representative Kim Thatcher (R-Keizer, District 25) introduced several bills in the Oregon Legislature. Particularly concerning is the proposed legislation mirrors the extreme policies of Arizona's SB1070 and would create a divisive political climate and hurt minority and immigrant communities in Oregon. The legislation would also force state officials to take the role of federal agents and put an economic burden on state and local government, businesses and local law enforcement.

Your State Can't Afford SB1070

To educate the public and policy makers on the harmful effects of Arizona-style SB1070-type legislation., the National Immigration Forum has introduced a new report titled Deficits, Lawsuits, Diminished Public Safety: Your State Can't Afford SB 1070.

The report examines the legal, political, and economic cost incurred by Arizona in the wake of the passage of SB 1070. It also discusses the threat SB 1070 poses to public safety in Arizona communities. A number of states are considering similar legislation, including Oregon, and this report takes a look at the political environment in those states.

Based in Washington D.C., the National Immigration Forum advocates for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation. Link here to download the full report from the Forum's website: http://www.immigrationforum.org/images/uploads/2010/SB1070Report.pdf

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Our Time to Fight for Immigration Reform is Now

By Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. Originally posted on the ImmPolitic blog.

I spent the last week meeting with people from Texas to New York to California who want our nation’s broken immigration system fixed. Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, people of faith and people of conscience, immigrant workers and American workers, labor and business – the people are angry.

They are angry at the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.
People want solutions, and they want Washington DC to accomplish something.

All these people that I had the opportunity to talk to, coming from all different perspectives know that it’s not going to be easy. They know the politicians and the media would love to do nothing by keeping alive this tired story of legal versus illegal because they think it gets them votes or ratings. The people know Democrats have become the party of “I Can’t” and Republicans have become the party of “I Won’t.” We know we are running behind, but we are still very much in the game and at this moment our issue is unique in its ability to say to Democrats and Republicans “You’d better.”

Because something is happening.

Recent events in Detroit, Cincinnati, Phoenix and Raleigh saw unprecedented numbers of people come out, as faith, labor, business and immigrant leaders are coming together to be counted and heard.

And it was impossible not to notice that the commitment and tenacity of each and every leader I met with over the past week has been growing stronger. Whether it is fairness in the job market, equality of tax payments or justice for all, everyone’s desire to fight is intensifying with each day.

It’s as if everyone heard Congressman Gutierrez, when he said in Los Angeles earlier this week, “You don’t go to McDonald’s and order justice at the drive through.”

We know our path to a functioning immigration system that ensures fairness, equity and justice is long, winding, and fraught with peril. Our nation has had to endure this path for decades and now, people want action.

So, although Washington DC may very well fail our Nation, we cannot fail our communities. Just as the failure to fix the broken system has hamstrung all of us, real immigration reform will help all communities. Native born workers can understand they will benefit from a reformed immigration system that equalizes the labor market, business owners understand they will benefit from a reformed immigration system that punishes unscrupulous employers, and families understand they will benefit from a reform immigration system that stabilizes communities.

The anger is real, the demand for a solution is urgent, and our time to fight is now.

See you on March 21st!

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Editorials: Washington, Roll up your sleeves and get to work on immigration reform

Originally posted at ImmPolitic blog

Editorials: Washington, Roll up your sleeves and get to work on immigration reform

by Katherine Vargas

Last week, editorials around the country made the case for why Washington shouldn’t wait to pass comprehensive immigration reform. A series of editorials endorsing comprehensive immigration reform in some of the nation’s major dailies followed remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano at the Center for American Progress where she emphasized the need for an immigration system that truly works so that her agency can keep America safe.

We first call your attention to an editorial from a newspaper that has witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of a broken immigration system: the Des Moines Register in Iowa. The editorial’s title instantly set the tone: “Immigration reform is shamefully overdue”. The piece notes that reform will be difficult, but nonetheless, the push must happen now because further delay will worsen our immigration crisis.

The nation can no longer ignore this human crisis…

Passing immigration reform will require more than the sympathetic appeal that most undocumented immigrants – like those arrested at the packing plant in Postville – want only to earn a decent living.

It will require assurance on three fronts:

• Stepped-up enforcement at the border will continue.
• Employers who hire undocumented immigrants will face harsher penalties to provide genuine deterrence.
• Quotas for legal immigration will be flexible to meet the needs of employers who cannot find Americans to fill jobs. This need must be met both for positions that require highly educated employees and work that pays low wages. Temporary guest-worker programs should be part of reform, too, with safeguards against employer abuse.

-Immigration Reform is Shamefully Overdue, November 23, 2009

In Minnesota, the focus was on the economics of a workable immigration system. Here’s an excerpt from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

In the shallow, often misinformed rhetoric over immigration, we too seldom hear the case for reform made in economic terms.

That may be changing—at least in Minnesota. A new report from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute and the Minnesota Business Immigration Coalition pulls together compelling evidence that even in this mostly homogeneous state—where the immigrant population is small but growing—immigrants are playing an increasingly important role in the economy, and we will depend more on their contributions as boomers leave the workforce.

—The Economic Case For Immigration Reform, November 20, 2009

And an excerpt from the south central Minnesota’s Mankatto Free Press:

In Minnesota, immigration will play a key role in the state’s economic future, according to the [University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute’ report. Immigrants add not only economic activity such as starting businesses, getting jobs, spending money and paying taxes, they also add to cultural diversity.

…

We hope legislators at state and national level can act on those facts and boost the economy with sensible and reasonable immigration policies.

—Immigration Key to Business Growth, November 20, 2009

The San Francisco Chronicle tool a more pragmatic approach. The country cannot continue waiting for the stars to align and bring about an ideal political climate for immigration reform. They asserted that immigration would continue to be a controversial issue but we still need to move forward from rhetoric into realistic solutions, and legalization is the only practical way to deal with the 12 million of undocumented immigrants already in the country.

Reform would also give Congress the opportunity to make some badly needed changes to our legal immigration system. One of the major reasons people continue to stay in this country illegally is that the legal process for immigration is so difficult and time-consuming. Simplifying and streamlining the system we already have would be an easy way to reduce illegal immigration going into the future.

There’s never going to be a good time for immigration reform in a political sense. It will always encounter disruptive resistance from Americans opposed to anything – no matter how humane or practical – that offers a reprieve to people who entered this country illegally. But it is clearly in this nation’s interest to align immigration laws with both reality and its economic and national security interests. The Obama administration is right to push for reform in 2010.

—The Right Time for Immigration Reform, November 22, 2009

Arizona has often been described as “ground zero” in the immigration debate; not only because it’s a border state but also because it has become the testing ground for state and local immigration policies. Within this context, the Arizona Republic examined the state’s former governor and – current Secretary of Homeland Security – Janet Napolitano’s efforts to make the case for immigration reform.

Napolitano is correct to note the advantage of enacting reform now, when illegal immigration is down, rather than waiting until the economy improves and immigrants flood back to meet renewed demand for their labor.

She calls for a “three-legged stool” of reform that includes effective enforcement, improved legal flow to meet labor demands and a fair way to deal with the current illegal population.

…Fixing immigration laws remains crucial to the nation’s security, its prosperity and its moral fiber.

… Reform efforts were smothered in 2007 by the anger of a relatively small group of anti-reform zealots. The status quo stalemate that followed demonstrates the folly of the do-nothing approach.

In addition to our senators, Arizona’s delegation includes a wealth of expertise on this subject – from Rep. Jeff Flake on the right to Rep. Raul Grijalva on the left.

This time, Congress needs to get this done.

—Congress Should Act Now, not Wait, November 19, 2009

Opinion leaders agree; the recession and the longer-than-expected healthcare debate create challenges to the immigration reform debate but that does not give Congress a free pass on immigration. Washington’s inaction has resulted in a serious immigration crisis that threatens our economic recovery, jeopardizes lives, and prevents our government and first responders from ensuring our security. We need action from our elected leaders, not further delay. The message is clear, Congress needs to act soon and show the American “can-do” attitude to resolve the country’s greatest challenges.

Here is a list of other editorials on immigration reform:

Miami Herald: Immigration reform, on again

Fresno Bee: Administration must reform immigration

Dallas Morning News: Obama’s bold step on immigration reform

Denver Post: Will immigration push be different this time?

La Opinion: Fight for immigration reform

La Opinion: Sanctions without reform

San Diego Union Tribune: Presidential backbone / Obama failing to lead on immigration reform

Photo by aopho

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Military Families Act Protects Families Who Protect US

This press release comes from our allies at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
November 10, 2009

Contact:
Shu Ohno, sohno@immigrationforum.org
(202) 309-5645 (mobile)

Military Families Act Protects Families Who Protect US

Washington, DC - On the eve of Veteran's Day, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced in the Senate, the Military Families Act, S. 2757, joined by co-sponsors Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Russ Feingold (D-WI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The bill seeks to provide immigration relief to parents, spouses, or children of US Armed Forces members. Senator Menendez announced the introduction of the bill with Army Specialist Jack Barrios, his wife Frances, and with Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.

Today, US military families are impacted by our broken immigration system which forces men and women in uniform into the same predicament as millions of other Americans who have spouses, parents, or children who are undocumented and may face deportation proceedings even though they have qualifying relationships to obtain legal status.

The introduction of this bill is especially meaningful today on Veterans Day, as the nation, engaged in two wars, mourns the recent tragedy at Fort Hood, and reflects on the enormous sacrifices made by members of the US Armed Forces and their families.

Senator Robert Menendez articulated why he was moved to draft the bill, stating, "We owe the men and women who risk their lives in service of our nation so much, and that should include the right to be united with their closest family members in our country on a permanent basis."

Menendez continued, "A grateful nation shows gratitude for members of the military not just through statements and ceremonies on Veterans Day, which are important, but also in how we take care of military families. This bill will help ensure the families of those that have served our country with pride and valor don't face unfair and unexpected deportation and are able to remain in this land they call home, close to their loved ones. As we prepare to celebrate Veteran's Day, we keep in our prayers and thoughts those who have died while serving our nation and their family members. We also honor those that put their life on the line on our behalf. With this bill, we can show one measure of our appreciation for their service and sacrifice."

Noorani stated, "This bill recognizes the patriotism, contributions and sacrifices made by our servicemen and women and their families. The bill seeks to remedy the second battle these patriots face at home because their families face being torn apart by a broken immigration system. This bill will protect those families, just as these servicemen and women protect ours."
Joining Senator Menendez in announcing the introduction of the bill was Army Specialist Jack Barrios and his wife Frances. Frances was brought to the United States when she was only six years old. A recent documentary, "Second Battle," profiled Frances and Jack Barrios' story. Frances lacked immigration status and was facing deportation until she was granted an adjustment of status from the Department of Homeland Security last week. While this documentary had a direct impact in securing some relief for the families featured in the film, there are many other families undergoing similar crises with the broken immigration system. (The film "Second Battle" is available at www.intheirboots.com.)

Army Specialist Jack Barrios stated, "What we went through, no American family should have to go through. I think about all my fellow soldiers who might be going through the same pain and stress of being worried about their wife or family, and I know that we need better immigration laws. We need to fix this problem now."

While the estimate of the number of US Military families currently facing similar crises because of the broken immigration system range from hundreds to thousands, a report released yesterday by the Immigration Policy Center finds that there are over 114,000 immigrants currently serving in the US Armed Forces. Last year, over 10 thousand were naturalized as US citizens. Over 12 thousand are serving our nation, while still waiting to become naturalized as American citizens. Since Sept 11, 2001, over 53 thousand men and women in the services have become US citizens.

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Organized Labor Report Lays Groundwork For Comprehensive Immigration Reform

This press release comes from our allies at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
October 27, 2009

Contact:
Katherine Vargas (kvargas@immigrationforum.org)
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-51988 (mobile)

ORGANIZED LABOR REPORT LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

Washington, DC - Today, the AFL-CIO, American Rights at Work and the National Employment Law Project released a report on how harsh immigration enforcement has "severely interfered with the protection of workers' rights, to the detriment of immigrant and native-born workers alike." The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington.

Our deficient immigration system has created an uneven playing field that allows unscrupulous employers to exploit and intimidate immigrant workers and which undermines labor protections and wages, thus eroding workplace conditions for every worker.

Today's report raises the voices of organized labor - the authentic voice of working class Americans - and their support for robust regulation of labor laws and enforceable immigration laws. The labor movement realizes, as immigration reform advocates do, that improved wage and hour enforcement helps good employers and workers alike.

As long as we have 5.4% of the American workforce outside of the system and not protected by basic labor laws, good employers and American workers will continue to be out-hustled by unscrupulous employers that take advantage of our broken immigration laws.

We need comprehensive reform of our immigration system to ensure a legal workforce, protect all workers and restore fairness to the labor market.

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Students Around the Nation Call for Passage of DREAM Act

This press release comes from our partners at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
September 23, 2009

Contact:
Katherine Vargas
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-51988 (mobile)
(kvargas@immigrationforum.org)

Push for DREAM Act Gains Steam

More than 125 student-led events across the Country call for action on bipartisan immigration legislation

Washington, DC - Today, the United We DREAM Coalition is organizing a day of action with more than 125 events in 26 states in support of the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act or DREAM Act, bipartisan legislation that will benefit talented immigrant kids who attend college or serve in the military. The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington. For more information on today's DREAM Act events visit the United We DREAM Coalition website.

Today's national day of action show the energy and enthusiasm of students organizing so they and their families can achieve the American dream. The DREAM Act is a critical component of comprehensive immigration reform and we anticipate that it will be part of the broad package of reforms that begins moving in Congress later this year.

The plight of thousands of students who are culturally American, caught in the limbo of our laws, and who cannot fully integrate into our society remind us of what is at stake in the DREAM Act. Each year that passes by with Congress failing to act on immigration, America looses a vital asset: an educated class of promising immigrant students who have demonstrated a commitment to hard work and a strong desire to be contributing members of our society.

We all recognize the value of higher education and service to our country. By denying these aspiring immigrant youth the opportunity to pursue a brighter future, our country is thwarting their potential to benefit and strengthen the U.S. economy. The bipartisan support enjoyed by the DREAM Act helps set the stage and builds momentum in Congress to address comprehensive immigration reform. It will not be enough to just get these young people into the system unless we create a way for their families to get legal status and get them fully into the American system. As part of a series of reforms that make legal immigration a viable option for families and workers, the DREAM Act makes a ton of sense.

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Immigration Reform Advocates mourn the Loss of Senator Kennedy

Today CAUSA, Oregon's Statewide Immigrant Rights Coalition, joins with immigration reform advocates around the nation in mourning the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy. We send our condolences to his family in their time of mourning.

Throughout his career, Senator Kennedy held a deep committment to making the lives of immigrants and refugees better and worked tirelessly to reform America's broken immigration system.

The statement below is from Ali Noorani and our partners at the National Immigration Forum about Senator Kennedy's dedication to the betterment of the lives of immigrants and refugees .

August 26, 2009

Contact:
Douglas Rivlin (rivlin@immigrationforum.org)
(202) 383-5989 or (202) 441-0680 (mobile)

Immigration Reform Advocates Mourn the Loss of Senator Kennedy

Washington, DC - The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington.

As the head of the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition in Boston before coming to the Forum, I witnessed the deep personal commitment Senator Kennedy felt for immigrants and for fixing America's immigration laws. After a devastating raid in New Bedford in 2007, Senator Kennedy and other leaders met with family members who gathered in the basement of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church as hundreds streamed in. The families huddled around Senator Kennedy asking him for help finding parents and loved ones who had been taken away by armed federal officers.

Senator Kennedy did not want to leave that church basement. These were his people, these were the people he wanted to help, and these were the people impacted most directly by our broken immigration system. I saw in his concern for these terrified and shattered families Senator Kennedy's personal commitment to righting wrongs when he saw them.

That afternoon, and in the days and months ahead, Senator Kennedy led yet another push for comprehensive immigration reform on the floor of the United States Senate. Each time he spoke, he went back to that moment in New Bedford to remind our country why we need to fix our out-dated immigration system. Fighting for the dignity and safety of immigrants who give their work and their sweat to this country was not an abstract policy matter for Senator Kennedy.

The great-grandson of eight immigrants to America, the brother of two of America's most visionary leaders on fighting for a fair and just immigration system, Senator Kennedy was in his own right the architect of the modern struggle to honor America's legacy as nation built by, populated by, and defined by immigrants from around the world.

We will miss his humor, his strategic sensibility, and his ability to keep us moving forward whatever the obstacles. He taught us that the fate and possibilities of all of us are fully intertwined with the fate and possibilities of the least of us. Both political parties and every American, regardless of status or station, can honor Senator Kennedy's life and legacy by recommitting ourselves to making the United States of America the most welcoming, free, egalitarian, and successful nation on earth.

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The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

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Obama Administration Addresses Detention Crisis with Change in Policy

The Department of Homeland Security announced today that it will change the way it conducts oversight and accountability in America’s immigration detention facilities. Specifically, it will make changes to policies regarding an immigrant detention facility in Texas.

In a press release, the National Immigration Forum, the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country, expressed they were pleased that the administration will take important steps to address immigration detention conditions that are currently a "national embarrassment".

Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, said that the “the single most important thing we can do with regard to immigrant detention is to reduce the need for its use for millions of non-criminals, families, and workers in the first place.”

Noorani added that the we need a functioning legal immigration system -- one that brings millions of immigrants living here illegally into legal status, rather than attempting to enforce our way out of our current situation.

He finished by saying that the Forum “is supportive of the changes announced to the detention system and hope this signals more oversight and accountability throughout DHS and our immigration enforcement system”.

According to the New York Times, among the changes DHS will make is to stop sending families to the notorious T. Don Hutto Residential Center, a former state prison near Austin, Texas. The facility was sued by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) after news coverage showed young children behind razor wire.

An ACLU lawsuit settled in 2007 brought to light how children under 10 years old were confined for up to a year in “family cells with open toilets, with only one hour of schooling a day”. Children said they were threatened by guards with separation from their parents--many asylum-seekers from around the world. Only after judicial enforcement of the settlement were children granted such “liberties" as "wearing pajamas at night and taking crayons into family cells" said the New York Times.

Although immigration reform advocates see the Administration’s action on the Detention Crisis as a step in the right direction, passage of humane and just immigration reform legislation will offer the only workable solution to our nation’s dysfunctional and unjust immigration system.

For more on the Administration’s immigration detention policy, read the full story at the New York Times by linking here. To read the full release from the National Immigration Forum, please link here

Additional Resources

The Math of Immigration Detention http://www.immigrationforum.org/images/uploads/MathofImmigrationDetention.pdf

Summaries of Recent Reports on Immigration Detention 2007 – 2009
http://www.immigrationforum.org/images/uploads/DetentionReportsSummaries2007-2009.pdf

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Bills Regulating the Immigration Detention System Introduced

This press release comes from our partners at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
July 30, 2009

Contact:
Katherine Vargas at (202) 383-5987 or
(202) 641-5198 (mobile)

Legislation to Regulate Immigration Detention System Introduced

Bills will Protect U.S. Citizens From Unlawful Detention and Ensure Due Process Rights to Detainees

Washington, DC - Today in the Senate, two important pieces of legislation seeking to fix our broken immigration detention system were introduced: the "Protect Citizens and Residents from Unlawful Detention Act" sponsored by Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and the "Strong STANDARDS Act (Safe Treatment, Avoiding Needless Deaths, and Abuse Reduction in the Detention System)" sponsored by Senators Menendez and Gillibrand. The legislation would address some of the concerns raised by recent news articles and reports, over the deteriorating conditions and lack of due process protections for immigrants in detention. The following is a statement by Douglas Rivlin, Communications Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan, non-profit pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington.

The dismal state of our immigration detention system makes it clear that the time is now for Congressional action to address our failing immigration system. Hundreds of thousands of people including women, children, asylum seekers - and even some U.S. citizens who have been mistakenly identified - are caught in a system in crisis. The Department of Homeland Security estimates it will detain over 440,000 individuals this year in a detention system plagued by deplorable conditions and rampant abuse. This poorly run detention complex exists at the expense of detainees' rights and U.S. taxpayers' dollars.

We praise Senators Menendez, Gillibrand and Kennedy along with Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, who is fighting for similar legislation in the House. Their leadership is critical to winning reforms that protect the fundamental rights of detainees and ensure that American values of fairness, transparency and due process are upheld.

However, as long as we have a deficient immigration system the detention system will continue to be overburdened. Unless we pass comprehensive immigration reform, we will continue to have a system divorced from reality, which does not provide sufficient legal channels for immigrants to use or mechanisms for immigrants already in the country to get legalized. It is important and urgent that Congress implements workable solutions that will place our immigration system back on a legal footing and restore basic fairness and humanity to our cruel, costly, and irrational detention system.

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Campaign Launched to Spearhead National Immigration Reform Effort

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 3, 2009

Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign Launched to Spearhead National Immigration Reform Effort

Coalition joins forces to push for immigration solutions in 2009

Contact:
Katherine Vargas: (202) 641-5198
Shuya Ohno (202) 309-5645
Germonique Ulmer (202) 339-9331

Washington, DC - A national campaign to help President Obama make good on his promise to pass comprehensive immigration reform in 2009 was unveiled at a press conference in Washington today. The event was part of a week-long series of activities across the country to demonstrate broad national support for comprehensive immigration reform and a commitment to win the legislative battle expected later in the year. The campaign announcement comes just days before the President is slated to meet with Congressional leaders at the White House on June 8 to discuss plans to move legislation forward this year.

At today's press conference, leaders of labor unions, business coalitions, civil rights and religious groups, and pro-immigrant advocacy organizations announced the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign. It is an effort to focus the political power of these diverse constituencies and give the American people a way to communicate their broad support for comprehensive immigration reform directly to lawmakers in Washington.

The campaign's organizers pointed to what they described as "a new political reality for immigration reform." With a united labor movement and a President committed to comprehensive reform, unprecedented voter mobilization and turnout in immigrant communities last November, polls that consistently show at least 60% of the American people supporting comprehensive immigration reform, and the impossibility of rounding up and deporting 12,000,000 undocumented immigrants, the campaign's organizers are quite optimistic about the chances for legislative success in 2009.

Furthermore, the campaign announced it was deploying new technologies such as a national text messaging system and various on-line organizing strategies to direct messages from constituents directly to Members of Congress. This is combined with a national campaign staff of organizers and policy experts, as well as the powerful networks of the 200 organizations participating in the campaign.

Ali Noorani, the Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, one of the leaders of the campaign said, "America voted for change and for leaders to tackle and solve tough problems. The broken immigration system is a symbol of how Washington has been avoiding tough problems for too long. It's time for leaders to do what a majority of Americans want done - fix our immigration system."

"For far too long, we have allowed a can't-do minority to block progress and manipulate this issue to tear out country apart, said Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) and one of the leaders of the campaign. "It is time to say to those blocking the progress America needs on this issue: 'no more.' We need a system that restores dignity and the rule of law, and we have the ability and the opportunity to make that hope a reality."

"The time to act is now," said John Podesta, President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, a leading progressive advocacy organization, who spoke at the press conference. "It's our collective challenge and responsibility to develop and advocate for common-sense immigration reform," said Podesta, a former White House Chief of Staff and a co-chair of President Obama's transition team.

"Families are the bedrock of our society, and a system that keeps hard-working, tax-paying, legally present immigrants apart from close family members for years and even decades is bad for America and calls for immediate repair," said Karen K. Narasaki, President and Executive Director of the Asian American Justice Center. "Across the country, momentum is building in the Asian American community for comprehensive immigration reform. Addressing the family immigration backlog and bringing undocumented families out of the shadows are top issues for our community and we're excited to join the Reform Immigration FOR America campaign to get common sense immigration reform passed this year."

AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker said at the press conference, "Our nation's broken immigration system isn't working for anybody -- not immigrant workers who are routinely exploited by companies, and not U.S. born workers whose living standards are being undermined by the creation of a new 'underclass.' As a part of broad-based economic recovery, we need a comprehensive solution -- and soon."

"This launch marks the beginning of an historic campaign to achieve immigration reform that is long overdue and desperately needed if we are going to rebuild our economy and make sure the American Dream is alive for our children and grandchildren," said Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), who also represented the Change to Win labor federation at the event.

Robert J. Dolibois, Executive Vice President of the American Nursery & Landscape Association represented the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform, a coalition of business groups that supports comprehensive reform and have been working with labor unions in the agricultural sector and Members of Congress to pass the AgJOBS bill, which is expected to be a component of comprehensive reform. He said at the press conference, "Opponents of immigration reform somehow think that the mass expulsion of millions of hearts and souls living among us merely seeking to better their lives will somehow make us a better nation. One must wonder how 'biting the proverbial hand that feeds us' is in the national interest."

"At the end of the day this is not a political issue but rather one of a moral and spiritual imperative," said Rev. Sam Rodriguez, Jr., President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, an evangelical leader at the event who represented the faith community, which will play a substantial role in the national campaign. "Every day that passes without comprehensive immigration reform tarnishes the soul of our nation as children are separated from their parents, immigrants hide deeper in the shadows and over 12 million people live in a land without the opportunity of ever experiencing the fullness of life, embracing the hope of liberty or pursuing the promise of happiness."

"Some may ask, why now? Plain and simple, the U.S. immigration system - as it currently exists and operates - no longer works. Fixing it will be a challenge, but action must be taken sooner rather than later. The time is now to do the right thing and fight for practical solutions that benefit all of us and are rooted in the restoration of the rule of law, earned citizenship, united families, and fair treatment of workers," stated Angelica Salas, Executive Director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).

Salas' organization led a press conference in Los Angeles on the steps of City Hall on Monday that included Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. It was one of more than 40 events in 35 states earlier in the week to launch local entities of the national campaign.

Nationally, more than 200 organizations have signed on to the campaign and a national summit of more than 700 advocates and allies of the campaign is taking place today through Friday at Gallaudet University in Washington. A town hall meeting with Members of Congress - likely to be among those to meet with the President at the White House on Monday - takes place Thursday (9:50 a.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Capital Hill). This is followed that day by hundreds of meetings between campaign representatives and Members of Congress. Campaign organizers said the bulk of the week would be spent preparing to take the campaign and its message back to their communities and to make Members of Congress aware of the strong support for comprehensive immigration reform in their states and districts.

For more information on the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign, please visit www.reformimmigrationforamerica.org or www.reformamigratoriaproamerica.org

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White House Border Violence Proposal A Step in the Right Direction

This release comes from the U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force. The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force is made up of state and local law-enforcement, elected officials, faith leaders, and community-based organizations along the border from Brownsville in the East to San Diego in the West. For more information, visit their website at www.bordertaskforce.org

White House Border Violence Proposal A Step in the Right Direction

Border Communities Point to Necessary Improvements

Washington, DC - The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force responded positively to announcements made yesterday by President Barack Obama and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on new border security and law-enforcement measures the Administration is taking in response to U.S.-Mexico border violence and drug trafficking. Today, Secretary Napolitano and senior Homeland Security staff testified at a hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee entitled "Southern Border Violence: Homeland Security Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Responsibilities." The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force is made up of state and local law-enforcement, elected officials, faith leaders, and community-based organizations along the border from Brownsville in the East to San Diego in the West.

"It is clear that the President understands the complexity and challenges of border security," said Fernando Garcia, Executive Director of the Border Network for Human Rights in El Paso, which is a co-convener of the Task Force. "This plan amounts to a 'comprehensive bi-national border strategy' that is the right approach and we applaud the White House for not succumbing to the temptation to over-simplify national security strategies."

"The proposal aptly relies on and supports local law-enforcement to curtail border violence," said Jennifer Allen, Executive Director of the Border Action Network in Tucson, another Task Force co-convener. "Local agencies are often called on, but rarely have sufficient resources, staffing, support, and communication and Washington appears to be addressing this."

"The response from Washington is measured and sensible and consistent with what we are hearing is needed from the groups and leaders we work with on the border," said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, another Task Force co-convener organization. "This is not militarizing the border willy-nilly, but a balanced plan of action."

The U.S.-Mexico Border and Immigration Task Force (background and list of members here), issued a series of recommendations for successful border policy in a report, "Effective Border Policy: Security, Responsibility And Human Rights at the U.S.-Mexico Border," released in Washington in November (Report here, Executive Summary here, and photos available on request).

Task Force Members pointed to two specific considerations that could improve the President's initiative: paying close attention to ports of entry and providing the kind of law-enforcement and judicial support envisioned by the President for the Mexican side of the border on the U.S. side, too.

"Most drugs are intercepted at ports of entry on the US-Mexico border, yet ports continue to be understaffed, under-supported and plagued by long lines that deter cross-border commerce," Allen said. "The President's proposal should include substantial infrastructure, staffing and technology expansions and improvements at the ports of entry."

"The proposal creates additional community liaisons to work with Mexican officials and agencies on their side of the border, but we need those here too," said Garcia. "The on-the-ground success of any border security strategy will be greatly improved if local communities have a means to share their information, experiences, and frustrations related to security issues faced at the U.S.-Mexico border."

Task Force members stressed that the mission to go after violent criminals and smuggling cartels must be clear and that training, accountability and oversight for new personnel and resources was critical to success.

"The President's plan should clearly define the role of local law-enforcement in border security activities and inter-agency collaboration," Garcia said. "We do not want our local law enforcement enlisted in the role of the Border Patrol, which would drive a wedge between border communities and their own police forces and erode trust and cooperation."

"We cannot afford having a strategy with multiple programs, massive enforcement, and lots of resources interacting with border communities without clear oversight mechanisms," Allen said. "Any border security strategy ought to be accountable and balanced and personnel must receive adequate training to deal with our communities on the border where many people look and sound like they may have come from Mexico."

Finally, the Task Force stressed the need for long-term solutions for the Borderland region, including comprehensive immigration reform.

"Immigration reform is needed to reduce the black market for immigration that the smuggling cartels exploit," Noorani stated. "Reform must create a legal immigration framework people will choose to go through rather than around, allowing our Homeland Security personnel to focus on actual threats."

"Security must be paramount," Allen said, "but cross-border commerce is the lifeblood of the local economy. In the long-run we need to strike the right balance so that there is as little interference as possible with the legitimate economy of the region."

"Border communities have been encouraged by recent comments by President Obama regarding his commitment to seeking comprehensive immigration reform this year," Garcia said. "A broad overhaul of our immigration system is essential to alleviating much of the stress and strain on the U.S.-Mexico border by enabling immigrants to enter the country in a legal, orderly, and safe manner rather than risking their lives with smuggling networks."

# # #

For information or further comment in English or Spanish, contact:

Jennifer Allen
Border Action Network
(520) 623-4944 or (520) 820-0360 (mobile)

Fernando Garcia
Border Network for Human Rights
(915) 577-0724 or (915) 204-0337 (mobile)

Katherine Vargas, Press Secretary
National Immigration Forum
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-5198 (mobile)

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Arpaio to be investigated by Department of Justice

We just got the news that Maricopa County Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Department is the target of a federal probe over allegations of discrimination and unconstitutional searches and seizures. Here is the link to the Associated Press article. Below is today's press release from our partners at the National Immigration Forum.

Justice Department Investigation of Arizona Sheriff Welcomed, Needed, and Overdue

Contact: Katherine Vargas (kvargas@immigrationforum.org)
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-5198 (mobile)

Washington, DC - According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) letter dated March 10, the Civil Rights Division will be investigating Sheriff Joe Arpaio of the Maricopa County (Arizona) Sheriff's Office (MCSO) focusing on "…alleged patterns or practices of discriminatory police practices and unconstitutional searches and seizures conducted by the MCSO, and on allegations of national origin discrimination…" The MCSO has a 287g agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to conduct immigration enforcement actions and Sheriff Arpaio was recently described by Ali Noorani as "the poster boy for all that is wrong with the 287g program," in a Wall Street Journal article. The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.

We welcome the Department of Justice's investigation because when a local elected official takes the law into his own hands, the role of the federal government is to protect the people from abuse. The Sheriff's over-the-top publicity-seeking has made him a flashpoint for those concerned that immigration enforcement practices are out of control, but DOJ needs to keep a close eye on any Sheriff more concerned with headlines than the Constitution and the law. In the mean time, the Sheriff's 287g agreement with the federal government should be suspended pending the outcome of this investigation.

Just because the Congress has not passed immigration reform is no excuse for the federal government to abdicate enforcement to local sheriffs, especially when some of those local police have abused their power. How and when local police should enforce federal immigration law and how the 287g program has been administered has been ignored by Washington for too long. Issues raised by a series of government and non-government reports (link, link, link) clearly indicate that more oversight is needed and not just from the Department of Justice.

These developments put additional pressure on Congress to address immigration reform. State and local governments and law enforcement are rightly calling for action, the American people want to know when someone will act to address immigration, and immigrant communities that feel under siege want clear next steps towards reform. We need solutions that restore the rule of law, prioritize hardened criminals - immigrant and non-immigrant - for enforcement, and get the vast majority of hard working immigrants integrated into our communities and on the road to citizenship. That would be progress and much more constructive than this Arizona Sheriff's stunts, which may be found to have been in violation of federal law.

Visit http://www.immigrationforum.org/ for more information.

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New Approach to Immigration Taking Root

This comes from our partners at the National Immigration Forum (www.www.immigrationforum.org). National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
February 3, 2009

Contact:
Katherine Vargas (kvargas@immigrationforum.org)
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-5198 (mobile)


Children’s Health Victory A Good Sign That A New Approach To Immigrants Is Taking Root

Washington, DC – On Wednesday, the House is expected to vote final passage for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill and President Obama is expected to sign it into law shortly there after. Among other things, the bill allows states to waive a five-year waiting period to extend health care insurance benefits to millions of legal immigrant children. It is the first piece of legislation directly related to immigrants and immigration that has passed this Congress and reached this President’s desk. The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan pro-immigrant advocacy group in Washington.

Many legal immigrant children will no longer be required to wait five years to access health insurance and health care, but this victory is larger than that. Passage of SCHIP with the provisions for legal immigrant children is an indication that a new era is dawning in Washington. For more than a decade, Congress’ approach to legal immigrants has been mostly what we can deny them, take away from them, or erect as barriers to their success and full integration. We are overjoyed that a new page is starting to turn.

This year will see another fierce battle over immigration, including who is legal, who can earn legal status, and who can come legally in the first place. Ultimately, the coming immigration reform debate will be about what role immigrants play in our society; whether immigrants are seen as cogs in an economic machine or integral members of our communities, with families and futures we should support and honor. At the heart of it is whether we remain a welcoming country, supportive of the immigrants’ goal to be just as successful and productive as every other group of immigrants that has come to these shores. A child’s health and a parent’s peace of mind are a building block of success in American society.

The SCHIP bill marks a first step from the punitive to the practical. If the President and Congress continue to approach immigrants as partners with native-born Americans in the success of this country, then we are closer to the day when sensible immigration reform is crafted and enacted. This is a good sign that a fair and just solution to what ails our current immigration system is within our reach.

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Over Twelve-Hundred Pro-Immigrant Groups Sign Letter to New Administration

This release comes from our partners at the the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the leading immigrant advocacy organization in the country with a mission to advocate for the value of immigrants and immigration to the nation.

For Immediate Release
January 22, 2009
Contact: Katherine Vargas (kvargas@immigrationforum.org)
(202) 383-5987 or (202) 641-5198 (mobile)

Over Twelve-Hundred Pro-Immigrant Groups Sign Letter to New Administration

President Obama, Secretary Napolitano: Welcome to D.C.
Here Are Some Things We Think You Should Do...
Washington, DC - Over 1,200 advocacy groups delivered a letter to the Obama Administration outlining priorities for immigration reform from the pro-immigrant, pro-immigration perspective. The letter stressed the urgency with which the new Administration should approach immigration reform legislatively and administratively, noting that efforts to address the many ills facing our immigration system have become the victim of gridlock in Washington for too long.

"Over the last eight years, immigrants and their families, employers and workers alike, have suffered from our nation's inability to find common ground on the issue of immigration reform," states the letter, which was signed by groups in 39 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

Noting the President's background and the new era his presidency signals, the letter says, "As the son of a Kenyan national and a woman from Kansas, you validate the American dream and we believe that your victory represents a triumph for tolerance and hope."

Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum, the non-partisan advocacy group that helped coordinate the collection of signatures from groups nationwide, said he hopes the Administration acts swiftly to address the most egregious problems with the enforcement practices and last minute regulatory changes of the previous Administration, but noted there is only so much President Obama and his team can do on their own.

"While President Obama can address some matters administratively, ultimately the President must propose and the Congress must enact meaningful, broad immigration reform to bring order to the current chaos," Noorani said. "Reform that is fair, respects the rights of immigrants and non-immigrants, strengthens our economy, reduces the black market, and gets immigrants and employers playing by one set of enforceable rules should be the goal. We know what needs to be done, now we have to summon the political will and focus the President's political muscle on making it happen."

"The urgency for reform cannot be overstated," the letter says. "Unless and until we recalibrate our policies, all Americans' rights will be at risk, our communities will be divided and the power of our nation's fundamental principle of E Pluribus Unum compromised."

The letter, delivered late last week to the President's transition team, is part of a broad effort to bring together immigrants, advocacy and civil rights organizations, faith leaders, employers and trade associations, and labor unions in an effort to enact immigration reform as quickly as possible.

"In the 2008 elections, immigrant voters and their families turned out across the nation in unprecedented numbers. They were inspired by your message, including your commitment to a comprehensive reform of our nation's immigration system. The reform challenge is formidable, but so is our resolve," the letter states.

Copies of the letter are available here.

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Immigration Reform is Doable, A Key Symbol of Change

This release comes from our partners at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum is the nation’s premier immigrant rights organization. The Forum is dedicated to embracing and upholding America’s tradition as a nation of immigrants. The Forum advocates and builds public support for public policies that welcome immigrants and refugees and are fair to and supportive of newcomers to our country. For more information visit www.immigrationforum.org.

For Immediate Release
January 8, 2009

Contact:
Douglas Rivlin
(202) 383-5989 or
(202) 441-0680 (mobile)

Immigration Reform is Doable, A Key Symbol of Change, Say Religious, Labor, Latino, and Immigrant Advocacy Leaders

Washington, DC – Key leaders who will be pushing the new Administration and Congress to enact immigration reform expressed optimism that broad reforms thwarted in recent years in Congress can and will be passed this year. Speaking on a conference call for reporters organized by the National Immigration Forum, a non-partisan pro-immigrant advocacy organization in Washington, the speakers, representing a diverse spectrum of constituencies engaged in immigration reform efforts, said comprehensive immigration reform remains an important priority for the country and that they were encouraged by early indications coming from the President-elect and Congressional leadership that reform was achievable.

The speakers included Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, who has been an outspoken advocate for immigration reform that includes legal status for undocumented immigrants who meet certain criteria and a critic of immigration raids which split up families. He was joined by John Wilhelm, President/Hospitality Industry, UNITE HERE!, a union that has lead others in labor in supporting immigration reform and which represents garment workers, hotel and restaurant employees, and other workers in heavily immigrant industries. Latino civil rights leader Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza, a leading Latino civil rights organization, also spoke; as did long-time pro-immigrant leader Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America’s Voice, an advocacy organization supporting comprehensive immigration reform. The call was moderated by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.

“Our current immigration policies—intermittent worksite raids, local law enforcement involvement, and a wall along our southern border, among other enforcement actions---have lead to the separation of immigrant families, an increase in fear and mistrust of law enforcement in immigrant communities, and discord and violence along our southern border,” said Cardinal Mahony.

“As a nation, we cannot have it both ways,” he continued. “We cannot accept the toil and taxes of immigrants while relegating them to a permanent underclass subject to abuse and exploitation. The issue of immigration is an economic and social issue, for sure, but ultimately is a humanitarian one and should be viewed through that lens.”

“The American people have embraced the proposition that has always been true about our country: that we will succeed as a nation if we put our divisions aside and work together,” said John Wilhelm, President Hospitality Industry, UNITE HERE! “As we work to rebuild this country, it is important that all workers and all employers are on an even playing field. We will not fix this country if we are not all in this together.”

“The face of America has always had immigrant features and the way we treat immigrants and approach their integration into U.S. society holds important implications for the future progress of the country,” said Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (www.nclr.org), a Latino civil rights organization. “Reform it not only possible, we as a nation are ready to do it.”

“The nation’s dysfunctional immigration system is a symbol of how our leaders have failed to tackle and solve tough problems,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice. “We are hopeful and confident that this year immigration reform will become a symbol of a new commitment to delivering on the promise of change.”

“Senator John McCain (R-AZ) is reportedly already talking to his caucus about immigration reform. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) included an immigration bill as one of his first ten bills; a traditional sign from Senate leadership that it sees the issue as a top priority,” said Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum. “Immigration is shaping up as an issue on which the new President and the new Congress can come to agreement in a bipartisan manner and actually accomplish something.”

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DHS Undermines Economic Security with No-Match Rule

The following release comes from our partners at the National Immigration Forum. The National Immigration Forum, founded in 1982, is the nation’s premier immigrant rights organization. The Forum advocates and builds public support for public policies that welcome immigrants and refugees and are fair to and supportive of newcomers to our country. For more information, visit their website at: www.immigrationforum.org

DHS Undermines Economic Security with No-Match Rule

Washington, DC - Today, DHS issued a final administrative rule notifying employers that failure to take action upon receipt of Social Security Administration "no-match" letters will serve as constructive notice that an employer had hired an employee who was an undocumented immigrant. These "no-match" letters are in fact wage report letters issued by the Social Security Administration that are designed to identify possible record-keeping errors and other problems associated with matching wages to Social Security numbers. The following is a statement from Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum.

While Congress holds hearings on Wall Street's financial crisis and the Bush administration's response, and the Department of Labor releases unemployment statistics confirming the pain of a slow down in the economy, the Department of Homeland Security continues to march to the beat of its own deportation-only drum. While the country focuses on a severe credit crisis, the lack of health insurance crisis and a looming recession, DHS's action effectively pours salt onto a wound widening everyday. To burden good employers with mounds of enforcement-laden paperwork based on bad data stifles an economy struggling to survive.

Today's release of a final administrative rule regarding "no-match" letters is opposed from all corners of our economy. The so called "no-match" rule turns an advisory letter issued by the Social Security Administration - designed to ensure that individuals paying into the Social Security system are properly credited for their work - into a tool for tracking down undocumented workers. While employers should certainly take steps to correct discrepancies, the no-match rule will not seriously address the problems of illegal immigration.

Inaccurate databases, human error, and failure to report name changes can all contribute to the "no-match" problem, but this new rule is likely to turn all no-match letters into scarlet letters, leading to unnecessary dismissals and possible discriminatory hiring practices. Given our country's rapidly unraveling economy, measures that further weaken businesses and threaten the economic security of our nation and of legitimate workers - native and immigrant worker alike - is bad public policy.

The Bush administration is determined to continue the drumbeat of deportation-only practices, using its last few months in office to put regulations in place that will make it that much more difficult for a new administration to tackle immigration in a straightforward and reasonable way. The administration should heed the call of thousands of employees and employers who fear the ramifications of this new rule.

The next administration and Congress should move quickly to help America get back on its feet by enacting immigration reform that is fiscally responsible, creates genuine security for communities, and leads to rational regulation of immigration. The no-match rule makes no contribution to those objectives and should be shelved before it disrupts the economy even further.

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