HR 4437, THE SENSENBRENNER BILL
In December, the House of Representatives passed HR 4437, a immigration reform bill that could have dire consequences for humanitarian aid workers, church groups and the work of No More Deaths. The bill makes "soliciting, aiding, abetting, counseling, commanding and procuring" undocumented people an aggravated felony. As people of faith and conscience, we must speak out against a proposed bill that will cause greater numbers of migrants to die while crossing Arizona's border.
SPECTER BILL (CHAIRMAN'S MARK)
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has imposed a May 25th deadline for passage of Senate immigration legislation. Partially drafted from HR 4437, the current Senate proposal will exclude millions from normalizing their immigration status, and will create immense bureaucratic hurdles for the millions of others who qualify. Rather than provide true security for border residents and address the humanitarian consequences of border militarization, the draft Senate legislation will allocate billions of dollars to border enforcement and more than double the size of the U.S. Border Patrol. We know that this is a strategy doomed to failure. Without increased oversite and accountability to affected communities, the abuse of human rights on the border is due to increase.
Call your Senators today to tell them that a comprehensive immigration reform must provide a path to permanent residency for all immigrants in the United States. The U.S. must change its approach to the border in order to succeed in regulation and enforcement. Only by reforming our laws to respect the contributions, rights and dignity of immigrants can we realize policies that protect workers and families, and provide true security.
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR CALLING YOUR SENATOR
If you are from Arizona, our senators are Senator Kyl and Senator McCain
For any state, call this number and they will connect you to your senator:
1-888-355-3588
Hi, My name is ___________. I am a resident of ________ and a member of No More Deaths. I am calling to urge Senator _______ to make sure that the Senate approves an immigration reform bill that
1) provides a path to permanent residency
2) protects civil and human rights on the border
3) affirms the principle that humanitarian aid is never a crime.
Thank you.
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