Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels speaks during the OneAmerica news conference. Click photo for more images.
Monday,
June 1, 2009
For Immediate
Release
OneAmerica,
Seattle Mayor and community leaders launch national effort to Reform
Immigration FOR America
SEATTLE - Seattle Mayor
Greg Nickels and other business, labor and community leaders joined OneAmerica to
launch the regional component of the Reform Immigration FOR America Campaign, a broad-based
national effort to fix the broken immigration system through a comprehensive
legislative approach at City Hall on Monday.
Mubarak
Elamin, chairman of the OneAmerica board, said, "We know there are many things
on our plate right now as a nation - the economy and health-care reform, just
to name two. But we know that immigration reform is also central to both of
these issues and that economically and morally, the time is now to fix our
broken system."
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said Seattle has an interest in moving forward with immigration reform. "Almost 20 percent of our residents are
foreign-born. We need to ensure equal opportunities in programs, services, civic
life and protect the constitutional rights of all our residents. ... (We) must ensure
that we pass comprehensive immigration reform this year that is fair, just and
humane."
Renee
Radcliff Sinclair, executive director of congressional and public affairs for
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the Northwest is particularly impacted by
weaknesses in the immigration system. "This issue is particularly important in
the Northwest where we have a very robust agricultural community as well as a
growing technology sector. I've worked
with cherry orchardists in the Columbia River Valley that have seen their trees
so heavy with cherries that the boughs were literally laying on the ground
because they were unable to hire people to pick them. At the same time, I've worked with software
companies here in the Puget Sound region that couldn't hire the engineers they
needed to bring new products to market in a timely way because we hit the cap
on H1-B visas in January of each year.
Jeff
Johnson, special assistant to the president of the Washington State Labor
Council, discussed the importance of fixing immigration to help all workers.
"It is long past time that we end the shadow economy of fear and exploitation
that has deprived millions of immigrant workers of basic workplace and health
and safety rights and protections, cheated both domestic and foreign-born
workers from receiving family wages and benefits, undercut the competitive
basis for good employers ... and criminalized workers for having the same desires
and aspirations of all workers - to be safe and to provide for their families."
A
worker named Leandro Barranca-Morales, who was detained in the ICE raids at the
Yamato Engine Specialists in Bellingham in February, spoke of his experience,
saying he felt he was treated like a criminal and a terrorist, merely for
trying to work.
For
Benito Valdez, a World War II veteran, the failures of the U.S. immigration
system have left a bitter taste after serving with valor in the military. "In
1992, I came to America with bright hopes that I could bring my children here
with me. I was very disappointed when I found out that the citizenship granted
to Filipino World War II veterans was only for the veteran and did not include
their families. How could this happen? How can we live along in America at our
age? Now sick with diabetes and after a heart bypass, here I am still waiting
for my children after 15 years."
On
Wednesday, June 3, the national campaign will be launched in Washington, DC,
and Thursday, June 4, OneAmerica Executive Director Pramila Jayapal will
co-emcee a national Town Hall with over 700 people from around the country and
members of Congress.
How to get involved
Organizations
interested in joining the campaign to Reform
Immigration for America can visit the campaign site www.ReformImmigrationFORAmerica.org or www.ReformaMigratoriaProAmerica.org.
Critical Components of Comprehensive
Immigration Reform
1) A rational and humane approach to the
undocumented population.
For the 12
million undocumented immigrants living in this country, we must create a
process that leads to lawful permanent resident status and eventual
citizenship. Undocumented immigrants
working and living in the U.S. must be counted through a registration program
that includes reasonable submission to background checks, paying an appropriate
fine, paying taxes and studying English.
If they satisfy these requirements, they must be given lawful permanent
statusand a path to citizenship.
2) Keep American families together and reduce
immigration backlogs.
Our outdated
family immigration channels, which keep close family members separated for
decades, must be reformed to restore our commitment to promoting family
unity. Those stuck in endless "backlogs"
should have their admission expedited, and those admitted on work visas should
be able to keep their nuclear families intact.
3) Ensure appropriate ways for workers to come
in legally in the future with full worker rights and labor protections. We must protect all workers' right to
organize and bargain collectively, regardless of whether they were born in the
U.S. or abroad. Any employment
verification system should determine employment authorization accurately and
efficiently while protecting workers and good-faith employers and must contain
sufficient due process and privacy protections.
4) Allocate sufficient visas to close unlawful
migration channels. A great failure of our current employment-based
immigration system is that the level of legal immigration is set arbitrarily by
Congress without regard to real labor market needs. The resulting extra-legal migration channels
have created a shadow economy that has allowed unscrupulous employers to manipulate
the system to the detriment of workers and reputable employers alike. Any reform package must allocate employment
visas through an independent commission that can assess labor shortages and
determine the number and characteristics of foreign workers to be admitted,
with Congress' approval.
5) Protect fundamental rights for all.
Our immigration enforcement system must reflect the American values of
due process and civil rights for all people. Enforcement must target genuine
threats to our national security and all enforcement actions must be subject to
accountability mechanisms. Alternatives to detention should be considered and
special protections provided for vulnerable populations. Detention should be a
last resort and there must be legally enforceable detention standards.
6) Promote immigrant integration. The federal government must help new
immigrants become citizens if eligible, learn our language and laws, ensure
equal opportunity for immigrants to participate in programs and services and
support state and local governments' efforts to help integrate these new
Americans.
Sensible Enforcement Principles
Once comprehensive immigration reform
has been passed, we must ensure there is a sensible enforcement strategy that
keeps America safe, protects due process and human rights, and makes the most
effective use of tools and policies already available in a fair and responsible
manner. This means prioritizing
enforcement actions to genuine threats; prosecution of unscrupulous employers
who are exploiting vulnerable workers; and preventing exploitation of the
immigration system by those who seek to do the country harm. This strategy, however, must be coupled with
vigorous enforcement of civil rights and labor and employment laws. An effective strategy must not include
continued use of local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration
law, indiscriminate worksite and neighborhood immigration raids, and blanket
detention policies. Border enforcement must
reflect American values, prioritizing the safety and security of border
communities and consulting with these communities in the process.
###
Campaign Endorsements
9 to 5,
National Association of Working Women
ACCESS
(duplicate?)
ACORN
AFL-CIO
Alabama
Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, Inc.
Alabama
Coalition for Immigrant Justice
Alliance to
Develop Power
American
Arab Forum
American
Dream Community Agency
American
Immigration Law Center
American
Immigration Lawyers Association
American
Jewish Committee
America's
Voice
Amigos
Hispanos
Anti-Defamation
League
Aquifer
Media
Arab
Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS)
Arizona
Advocacy Network
Arizona
Interfaith Network
ASCOMBRA -
Brazilian Community Association
Asian Law
Alliance
Asian
Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California
Badmus Law
Firm
Beardstown/Rushville
Immigrant Families United - Gamaliel Affiliate
Blue Ridge
Immigration Law Center, PLLC
Border
Action Network
Border
Ambassadors
Border
Farmworkers of El Paso
Border
Network for Human Rights
Breakthrough:
Building Human Rights Culture
Brown and
Caldwell / CIRC
Cambodian
Community Development, Inc.
Capacity
Partnership Group
Capital Area
Immigrants' Rights Coalition (CAIR Coalition)
CASA de
Maryland
Casa
Esperanza
Catholic
Social Services
CAUSA
CBO (Consejo
Binacional de Organizaciones Comunitarias Mexicanas)
Center for
American Progress
Center for
Community Change
Center for
New Community
Centro
Campesino Inc.
Centro de la
Familia
Centro de
Orientaci�n del Inmigrante (CODI)
Centro
Independiente para Trabajadores Agr�colas (CITA)
Chicago
Celts for Immigration Reform
Chicago
Irish Immigrant Support
Church World
Service, Immigration and Refugee Program
Coalition
for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles
Coalition of
Irish Immigration Centers
Coalition of
Latino Leaders-CLILA
Cobb
Immigrant Alliance
COFEM
Colombians
for TPS
Colombo
Americans in Action
Colorado
Council of Churches
Colorado
Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC)
Congregations
Organizing for Renewal
Congreso
CONLAMIC
Connie
Hogarth Center for Social Action at Manhattanville College
Conocer es
Poder
Dando la
Mano
Diversity
Research and Action Center
Dominican
Sisters of Houston
DV GROUP
El Centro de
Igualdad y Derechos
El Centro
Inc.
El Paso
County Attorney Office
El Pueblo
Emigrantes
Sin Fronteras
Equal
Justice Center
Esperanto
Studies Resource Center
Evanston
Immigrant Advocacy Project
Farmworkers
Association of Florida
Federal
& Hasson, Attorneys
FEDYC INC
Georgia
Association of Latino Elected Officials
Georgia
Latino Alliance for Human Rights (GLAHR)
Georgia
Rural Urban Summit
Guatemalan-Maya
Center, The
Haitian
Center of the Diocese of Trenton
Hebrew
Immigrant Aid Society, Inc (HIAS)
Hispanic
Interest Coalition of Alabama
Hispanic
Liaison / El V�nculo Hispano
Hispanic
Women's Organization of Arkansas
Hmong
National Development
Holy Cross
Catholic Church/Ministerio Hispano
Honduran
Unity-Unidad Hondure�a
Hudson
Valley Community Coalition
Huntsville
International Help Center
Idaho
Community Action Network
Illinois
Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Immigrant
Advocacy Program of the Legal Aid Justice Center
Immigrant
Legal Center of Boulder County
Immigrant
Rights Defense Committee of New Jersey
Immigrant
Rights Network of Iowa
Immigration
Equality
Instituto de
Educaci�n Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA)
International
Institute of Rhode Island
International
Institute of the Bay Area
Iowa
Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI)
Irish
Apostolate USA
Jadoo &
Zalenski, LLC
JCRC of
Greater Washington
Jewish
Community Action
Jewish
Council for Public Affairs
Jewish
Council on Urban Affairs
JMC
Strategies
Joint
Commission for Church Extension
Justice
Overcoming Boundaries in San Diego County
Korean
American Resource and Cultural Center of Chicago
Korean
Resource Center of Los Angeles
LA Voice PICO
LALDEF, Inc.
Latin
America Taskforce Network; River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
Latin
American Coalition
Latin
American Legal Defense and Education Fund (LALDEF)
Latina
Initiative
Latino
Commission on AIDS
LatinoJustice
PRLDEF
Latinos
Unidos de Alabama
Latinos With
Disabilities
Leadership
Conference on Civil Rights
League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council #636
League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 320
League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 761
Legal Aid
Justice Center
Logan Square
Neighborhood Association
Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)
Make the
Road New York
MAS-Freedom,
North Carolina
Massachusetts
Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA)
Mennonite
Central Committee Washington Office
Mi Familia
Vota Colorado
Middle TN
Hispanic Democrats
Migrant
Support Services of Wayne County (MSS)
Minnesota
Immigrant Freedom Network
Missouri
Immigrant & Refugee Advocates
Missouri
Stream Team 882
MOSES-Gamaliel
of Michigan
Nacoochee
Presbyterian Outreach
National
Council of Jewish Women
National
Council of La Raza
National
Education Association
National
Immigration Forum
National
Immigration Law Center
National
Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
National
Movement for Legalization and Human Rights
National
Network for Arab American Communities (NNAAC)
Nebraska
Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest
New
Americans Caucus, Maryland House of Delegates
New Jersey
Immigration Policy Network (NJIPN)
New York
City Labor-Religion Coalition
New York
Immigration Coalition
Northwest
Federation of Community Organizations
Northwest
Workers Justice Project
Oblates JPIC
Office
OCA -
Embracing the hopes and aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans
OneAmerica
ONE Lowell
Organizing
for America on the East End
OrlandoWest
Insurance Corporation
P.A.N.D.O.R.A.-
Patient Alliance for Neuroendocrine Immune Disorder
P.A.S.O.-
West Suburban Action Project
P.U.E.B.L.O
Paetenians
International
People for
the American Way
Peruvian
American Political Action Committee of New Jersey
Philippine
News
Pineros y
Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN)
Popol Vuh
Latinoam�rica Association
Poultry
Plantation, Inc.
Progressive
Leadership Alliance of Nevada
Progressive
States Network
Rabbinical
Assembly
Red
Migrantes from Texas
Redlands
Christian Migrant Association
Refugee and
Immigration Ministries of the Christian Church (Disc
Rockland
Immigration Coalition
SALEF -
Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund
Salgado
& Associates, PLLC
San
Francisco Organizing Project
SC Appleseed
Legal Justice Center
Scott D.
Pollock & Associates, P.C.
SEIU Local
100
Service
Employees International Union
Services,
Immigrant Rights, and Education Network
Shirlington
Employment and Education Center, INC
Si Se Puede
Latino Democratic Caucus
Sin
Fronteras, VEP
Sisters of
Mercy of the Americas
Sisters of
St. Francis
Sojourners/Call
to Renewal/ Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Somos
America/We Are America Coalition
Somos Un
Pueblo Unido
South Asian
Americans Leading Together
Southeast
Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Spring
Institute for Intercultural Learning
St.
Stephen's Grace Community - ELCA
Strategic
Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)
Student Immigrant
Movement (SIM)
Sunflower
Community Action
The
Committee for Hispanic Children and Families, Inc.
The
Episcopal Church USA
The Good
Shepherd Episcopal Church in Redwood, CA
The M
Foundation
The National
Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
The Sisters
of the Presentation
TIGRA (
U.S.
Committee for Refugees and Immigrant
Union for
Reform Judaism - Religious Action Center of Reform Jud
Unitarian
Universalist Association of Congregations
Unite for
Dignity, Inc.
United
Church of Christ
United Food
and Commercial Workers International Union
United
Methodist Church
United
States Peru Chamber of Commerce
University
Leadership Initiative
Voces de la
Frontera
Washington
Community Action Network
Westchester
Hispanic Coalition
WISDOM, the
Gamaliel Foundation in Wisconsin
World
Organization for Human Rights
WOW
Foundation, Inc.
Ya Basta!
Tod@s Contra el Muro
YKASEC-Empowering
the Korean American Community
Join the Campaign
to Reform Immigration for America!
We
invite your organization to join the campaign to Reform Immigration for America today. Please sign on your organization to the
campaign at the following website.
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For more information:
Naomi Ishisaka Communications Director C: 206-853-3339 [email protected]High resolution photos available on request.
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About OneAmerica
OneAmerica, formerly Hate Free Zone, is a non-profit organization that advances the
fundamental principles of democracy and justice by building power within
immigrant communities.
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