CPTnet

18 October 2005

ARIZONA / SONORA ACTION ALERT: Write Members of the
U.S. Congress to Support Immigration Reform

BACKGROUND

The U.S. policy of militarization in the border
regions is a failed policy resulting in a crisis. An
estimated 485,000 migrants continue to come into the
United States every year and militarization has not
decreased the flow of people. Instead, it has forced
migrants to cross the border at more remote, less
militarized regions leading to hundreds of deaths each
year and many more serious injuries. It has also
created a "siege" atmosphere in border towns, where
residents live in fear of harrassment and racial profiling.

SOLUTION

We need an employment-based immigration reform that
acknowledges the value of immigrant labor in our
economy by providing temporary work visas to
undocumented immigrants already residing in the U.S.
as well as to future migrants. Temporary work visas
should also provide a path to future, permanent
residency and allow for migrant families to remain
united. Congress must recognize that the root causes
of migration lie in economic and trade inequalities,
and that migrants are crossing the border in order to
fill available jobs in the U.S. and build a
sustainable life for themselves and their families.

ACTION

Write to Members of Congress to support the Secure
America and Orderly Immigration Act, S. 1033,
sponsored by Senators McCain and Kennedy in the
Senate, and H.R. 2330, sponsored by Representatives
Kolbe, Flake, and Gutierrez in the House.

MESSAGE

Ask the congress members to do all they can to prevent
additional spending on militarized border enforcement
measures. Affirm Act S. 1033. This legislation, if
implemented, will provide temporary work visas to
undocumented workers currently living in the United
States and to future migrants. It will provide the
option to migrants of applying for permanent residency
after six years. It will allow family members to
reunite in a legal and timely way and to immigrate
together. In addition, it will guarantee immigrant
workers fair wages and labor rights, and allows them
to travel legally and safely to and from their
homelands. We support these provisions and urge
Members of Congress to keep them intact in the final
bill. We also urge the following changes:

1. The bill calls for the Department of Homeland
Security to do a one-year comprehensive review of
border security. We agree that it is a good idea to
study the effectiveness of border security measures.
However, DHS should not be studying itself. We urge a
multi-agency review of border security, inluding input
from local communities who are impacted by border
security policies.

2. The bill mandates a border security advisory
committee with representatives from community groups,
border states, local law enforcement, and others.
However, this group has no real power. We urge that
the legislation give to this group a role in future
decision-making about border security.

3. The bill authorizes the U.S. government to work
with the governments of Mexico, Canada, and Central
American states to improve border security. We urge
that Members of Congress write strict human rights
provisions into these agreements so that we are not
complicit in human rights abuses on the borders of
other countries.

STEPS

We suggest the following three action steps to support this legislation.

1. Write to your Senators and Representative
expressing the message outlined above. Use the following addresses:

The Honorable (name of Senator)
U.S. Senate
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable (name of Representative)
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20512

Tip: Hand-written letters or personalized typed
letters are best. Most House and Senate offices keep
a count of how many letters they receive for and
against each issue, and the number of letters
influences how that Member of Congress will vote.

2. Write to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and
urge him to allow the Senate to hear comprehensive
immigration legislation during this session of
Congress. Express your support, with the above
qualifications, for S. 1033.

3. Sponsor a letter-writing campaign in your church
or community group.

Tip: These are best done during other,
regularly-scheduled group or committee meetings. Take
15 or 20 minutes at the end of the meeting for
letter-writing. Have pens, paper, envelopes, and
stamps available. Hand out this action alert and
invite participants to use it as a guide. Collect the
letters and mail them yourself.

FURTHER INFORMATION

www.justiceforimmigrants.org
www.cirnow.org

FOLLOW UP

Please let us know what action you decide to take in
response to this action alert by emailing your action
to guest.675367@MennoLink.org.

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