2006: Recent U.S. House's Anti-Immigrant Legislation

2006: Recent U.S. House's Anti-Immigrant Legislation

9/30: Anti-Immigrant/Border Fence Bills Passed
Lessons we should learn, and what is our next stage of the struggle?

Lee Siu Hin
National Immigrant Solidarity Network
http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org

Last Week was one of the darkest and shameful days for the immigrant and human rights in U.S. history.

Despite repeat appeal from the activists, the U.S. Senate, approved the outrageous and racist detainee bill (S. 3930) and another multi-billion dollars for immoral war in Iraq and Afghanistan (H.R.5631). At the House, they passed the wire tap bill (H.R. 5825) and several other anti-immigrant bills (H.R. 4844, H.R. 6089, H.R. 6090 and H.R. 6091).

But the most shameful one, on Friday September 29, the Senate rushed to passed the shameful Border Fence Bill (H.R. 6061), calling for construction a multi-billion dollars 700 miles of fence along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico.

Lists the anti-immigrant bills: H.R. 6061, S 3930, H.R.5631, H.R. 5825, H.R. 4844,
H.R. 6089, H.R. 6091

Here's some lessons we should learn for our recent defeats:

1) We cannot have any more illusion that there's such thing as critical Republican-Democrats splits at the Congress could help us against anti-immigrant/anti-civil liberties bills, because all these bill's passage had clearly reflects bipartisan, even overwhelmed supports from the members of both parties. Therefore, we need to redefine our Congressional lobbying/legislative strategies, and rethink who is our real ally.

2) There's no doubt that there's a direct link between anti-immigrant/anti-civil liberties politics, the war in Iraq/Afghanistan and the multi-billion dollars military industrial complex. Just right before the House vote on the border fence bill, the Boeing had won $70 million dollars for building a "test" border wall.

3) Although we lost the immigrant votes, we should not give up the fight and need to be visionary: We need to think 2-3 steps ahead to begin our next fights to stop their next possible anti-immigrant agendas at the Congress. We need to continuously keep up our fights and pressure our policy makers from now to the mid-term election, during the lame duck section, the holiday recess and to the next year. The anti-immigrant group ALIPAC had laid down their next campaign strategy, we can learn a lot from them.

4) In order to win our struggle, we should building a grassroots, multi-ethnic coalition includes: African American, Native American, African immigrant, Asian American, Latino/Latina, Arab-Muslim-North African, progressive labor, interfaith, LGBTQ, student, anti-war/peace and global justice groups from across the country. Understand we have different values and agendas and should accept and help diverse tactics to achieve our common goal.

5) Fundamentally, we need to educate our community, our ally and our enemies--this is not just a immigrant rights struggle, it's a civil rights and human rights for tens of millions of immigrants and people of colors in this country, because we need to tell anyone who supports the anti-immigrant/border fence bills are ignorance as just like supporting the idea of "Separation but Equal." We cannot allow us to turn the clock back to the time when racial segregation, McCarthyism, KKK lynching mobs are everywhere.

Lists the anti-immigrant bills: H.R. 6061, S 3930, H.R.5631, H.R. 5825, H.R. 4844,
H.R. 6089, H.R. 6091

9/25: The Immigrant Battle Shifts to the Senate – More Calls Needed!

Urgent Alerts from National Immigrant Solidarity Network
http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org

Dear immigrant activists:

The coming week will be the critical moment for the immigrant struggles, despite the opposition from the immigrant activists, the U.S. House last week passed several outrageous racist anti-immigrant bills:
H.R. 6061 - Border Fence Bill
H.R. 4844 - Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006 ("Voter ID bill")
H.R. 6089 - Illegal Immigrant Deterrence Act
H.R. 6090 - Immigration Enforcement Act
H.R. 6091 - Border Security Enhancement Act

The next struggles will be at the Senate, we need to spare no time to non-stop calling the Senate:

- Tell your Senator that he or she should not allow enforcement-only legislation to be attached to spending bills.

- Also tell your Senator that the enforcement-only approach taken by the House will only make matters worse, and that only comprehensive immigration reform will fix our broken immigration system.

- Tell your Senator to vote no on the Fence bill, H.R. 6061.

The following Senators are key, as they are on the Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee:

Senator Judd Gregg (Chairman) (NH)
Senator Thad Cochran (MS)
Senator Ted Stevens (AK)
Senator Arlen Specter (PA)
Senator Pete Domenici (NM)
Senator Richard Shelby (AL)
Senator Larry Craig (ID)
Senator Robert Bennett (UT)
Senator Wayne Allard (CO)
Senator Robert C. Byrd (Ranking Member) (WV)
Senator Daniel Inouye (HI)
Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (MD)
Senator Herb Kohl (WI)
Senator Patty Murray (WA)
Senator Harry Reid (NV)
Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA)

You can find contact information for all Senators here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Please tell us what happened by send us a copy of your messages to: info@ImmigrantSolidarity.org

Please read the excellent analysis from the National Immigration Forum

News On H.R. 4844, H.R. 6089, H.R. 6090 H.R. 6091

9/21: AAJC DENOUCES PASSAGE OF MORE ANTI-IMMIGRANT LEGISLATIONS BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
By Asian American Justice Center

9/18: Congress Aims to Require Voter ID H.R. 4844

9/19: Analysis of H.R. 6089, H.R. 6090 and H.R. 6091
Immigrant Legal Resource Center

9/14: Immigration Policy Update
National Immigration Forum

9/14: CLEAR Act on House agenda; information and ideas
National Immigration Forum

9/15: URGENT: Stop U.S. Authorization of Indefinite Detention
Center for Constitutional Rights

9/20: Action Alert! National Call-In Day to STOP Congress
from Passing Anti-Immigrant Bills!

September 20 National Call-In Day!

National Immigrant Solidarity Network

On Wednesday September 20, the U.S. House will be discuss and voting several racist anti-immigrant legislation (see above). After last week the passage of last week's (9/14) Secure Fence Act of 2006 H.R. 6061 (The Final Vote Roll Call). The anti-immigrant forces in Washington D.C. want to push their enforcement-only immigrant bills (see above) before November election. First House votes, then the Senate vote, and the possbility push for Conference Committee and finalize the Bill for President Bush to sign. Therefore, we need to waste no time to mobilize to stop it!

On Wednesday September 20, we urge you to CALL, FAX AND MAIL your elected officials, SAY NO TO THE RACIST ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILLS:

H.R. 4844 - Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006 ("Voter ID bill")
H.R. 6089 - Illegal Immigrant Deterrence Act
H.R. 6090 - Immigration Enforcement Act
H.R. 6091 - Border Security Enhancement Act

Talking Point (by: New American Opportunity Campaign)

"Congress should stop the piecemeal, enforcement-only approach to immigration reform. I support a comprehensive bill that reunites families, legalizes the undocumented population, and provides future immigrants with a safe and legal way to live and work in the U.S."

or we'll not vote for you at the November election!

To find your House members, please visit the following site:

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

Here's the suggest key members to call

U.S.-Mexico border fencing passes House - again
Republican Congress votes to build wall of shame

September 15, 2006
National Immigrant Solidarity Network

The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday (9/14) voted in favor of building a fence along portions of the border with Mexico, the Secure Fence Act (H.R. 6061), this is no doubt a racist anti-immigrant bill, the vote had more to do with election year politics than solving immigration issues.

The Republican-written bill, approved on a vote of 283-138, calls for construction of about 700 miles of fence along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico, includes:

- 361 miles from Calexico, California to Douglas, Arizona
- 176 miles from Laredo to Brownsville, Texas
- 51 miles from Del Rio to Eagle Pass, Texas
- 88 miles from El Paso, Texas to Columbus, New Mexico
- 22 miles in Tecate, California near San Diego

The anti-immigrant forces in the Congress, understand they cannot finalize the anti-immigrant legislation to become the law this year, so they are trying to appeal to the "fears" of people, the measure was a charade designed to help Republicans ahead of the November 7 elections.

National Immigrant Solidarity Network will call for a conference call very soon to discuss the strategies how we can responds to this before the November election.

Please stay turned!

House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Homeland Security Chairman Peter King (R-NY) today announced that the Secure Fence Act (H.R. 6061) see the statement from Boehner and King below. Despite the massive protest from the community and the activists, the anti-immigrant forces in D.C. want to continue to push for their racist bill!

Please call, FAX, write your House members to oppose the House Secure Fence Act (H.R. 6061)

The Senate is poised to take up immigration legislation early on this year. The only way the CLEAR Act will be kept out of any final immigration reform package negotiated between the House and Senate is if we mobilize! >> Read More

12/22 2005: Anti-Immigration Bill Passed PATROTIC Act Extented, We Still Have Long Struggle Away!

Unfortunately, despite the strong protest from the immigrant, human rights, labor and civil liberty groups the, U.S. House last night passed the disgraceful anti-immigrant H.R. 4437 the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005" by House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) on December 17, and U.S. House also vote to extend the PATROTIC Act for another 5 weeks on December 21 (give Congress and President Bush more time to work out their differences) while they also approved $453 billion defense spending bill that funnels $29 billion in hurricane aid to the Gulf Coast and $50 billion more for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

It's clears that President Bush along with the Congress, again spinning their rhetoric to blaming immigrants for causing all the World's problems (away from the failure war in Iraq, decline economy, and government/corporate corruptions).

It's also clears that the President, right wing Republicans and even many Democrats will use immigrant as scapegoat for their Nov 2006 mid-term elections. They will use any possible mean to secure conservative/right wing voters by focusing on blaming people of colors, immigrants and support anti-abortion and anti-gays/lesbian rights.

Yes, we need to understand our struggle will be long and hard, but that doesn't mean we don't have hope. While the House vision of the Bill had passed, we still can mount our strong opposition against the upcoming Senate vision--will be introduce and debate at sometime February, 2006.

When we finished our Holiday seasons, we should gear up our fighting spirit to build multi-ethnic community actions against the final passage of the bill in early next year!

Unity is very important! This is NOT only about the immigrant rights, it also about the Human Rights for everyone! because injury to one is injury to all!

The activists and organizers have particular responsibilities in pointing out the links between Katrina's impact, immigrant rights, civil liberties, labor rights and the U.S. war in Iraq. Understanding the connections between our individual conditions of life and the lives of people everywhere in the word allows us to come together and organize across all borders. WE NEED to link the connections between: wars in Africa, south America, Asia, Iraq, Palestine & Korea with sweatshops in Asia as well as in Los Angeles, New York; international arm sales and WTO, FTAA, NAFTA & CAFTA with AIDS, hunger, child labors and child solider; multinational corporations and economic exploitation with racism and poverty at home--then we can win the struggle.