Immigration policy is broken and must be fixed

The signs displayed in last year’s immigration marches said it so powerfully: We are America.

Immigrants care about their communities, their families and the future of the United States. They hope to achieve the American Dream. Because of their strong desire to become Americans, immigrants in 2006 joined rallies, marches and vigils all across the United States.

During the fall 2006 legislative session, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate took up two different proposals, but failed to send comprehensive legislation to President Bush for signature.

The House passed a punitive enforcement-only immigration bill in December 2005. Commonly referred to as the Sensenbrenner bill, H.R. 4437 failed to include any effective solutions to the country’s current immigration problems. The bill would have made it more difficult for legal permanent residents to become citizens, allowed local police to become de facto immigration officials and criminalized anyone who provided charitable assistance to undocumented immigrants, including clergy. It provided no mechanism for legalizing any of the 12 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States.

In May 2006, the Senate passed S.2611 – a measure with a three-tier legalization program that put most undocumented immigrants on a path to citizenship. However, that bill was criticized for limiting due process for immigrants and for its treatment of various groups of undocumented immigrants.

A stalemate ensued, with the House Republican leadership refusing to appoint conferees to the committee, which could have provided a forum for both chambers to resolve differences. Instead, they held hearings across the country in an attempt to increase their support for an enforcement-only approach. ACORN wants the House and Senate to stop its partisan divisiveness and enact immigration legislation that helps immigrants become U.S. citizens.

ACORN demands that lawmakers pass comprehensive immigration reform measures that include the following:

• A path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States.
• Protection for all workers – both native and foreign-born – by upholding fair wages and working conditions for U.S. and immigrant workers and by ending exploitation and abuse of undocumented immigrant labor.
• Reunification of families through removal of restrictions and bureaucratic delays. Those who have waited in line should have their admission expedited, and those admitted on work visas should be able to keep their nuclear families in tact.
• Restoration of the rule of law and enhancement of security by providing a path to permanent status with effective enforcement.

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