VACCIR Press Release on Cloture Vote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 28, 2007

Virginia CCIR Issues Statement on Senate Cloture Vote
Virginia Senators Criticized for Voting to Kill Needed Reform

Richmond, VA – Claire Guthrie Gastañaga, who is coordinating the efforts of the Virginia Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, a project of the Virginia Justice Center and the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, issued the following statement on behalf of the Coalition today regarding the Senate vote to kill comprehensive immigration reform:

We are very disappointed that Virginia Senators John Warner and Jim Webb voted to kill the comprehensive immigration reform bill. The need for reform is pressing, and it is not going away. The federal system is broken and the failure to address the issue will further frustrate the overwhelming majority of Americans who want the system fixed and fixed now. The Senators’ refusal to act positively to move reform forward will leave millions living in fear and exacerbate the “we-they” issues that increasingly are driving Virginia communities apart as they seek to deal with the fallout of the failed federal policy.

The Senators’ vote to kill reform preserves an untenable status quo that leaves in place the perverse incentives that provoke both scofflaws and vigilantes, affirms the invitation to exploitation that undermines the working conditions of American and immigrant workers, kills the dreams of school children who want nothing more than an equal opportunity to continue their education, and threatens the economic well-being of the agricultural businesses that are a vital part of Virginia’s economy. We simply cannot deport our way out of this problem.

VACCIR will deliver to Senator Webb’s office in Richmond today another 208 postcards from Virginians who support comprehensive reform. This brings to more than 800 the number of Virginians who have put their names on the line in favor of reform.

The Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CCIR) is a campaign powered by the strategic, coordinated activities of immigrant advocacy, grassroots, religious and labor organizations across the United States and on Capitol Hill. Our central purpose is to achieve passage of workable comprehensive immigration reform legislation that serves our nation.

CCIR on Senate Vote Today -- The Time to Lead is NOW

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2007

THE TIME TO LEAD IS NOW
America is calling on the U.S. Senate to fix immigration; will Senators respond?

Washington, DC – Today, the Senate voted to return to the immigration debate. In the next few days, Senators will vote on cloture (a procedural vote to allow immigration reform to move forward, including consideration of over 20 amendments), and then on final passage. The following is a statement by Clarissa Martinez, Campaign Manager for the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

“We are encouraged by today’s unprecedented action by the U.S. Senate to return to the immigration debate. Since the failed cloture vote of June 7, some Senators have been trying to write the obituary on this debate and abdicate responsibility over one of the nation’s most pressing issues. Thankfully, a greater number of Senators understand that when it comes to the country’s broken immigration system, defending the status quo is tantamount to failing America, and not in keeping with the job they were elected to do.

The road to reform is steep because the problem has been neglected for so long – taking it on requires leadership, courage and putting aside partisan politics. Not an easy balance to strike.

The next few days will be decisive for the fate of comprehensive immigration reform –for this year, and likely for several years to come. The solution America needs must secure our borders, strengthen our economy and uphold the values of faith, family, and hard work that are the cornerstone of our democracy. We remain committed to this process and know that if there is a debate in the House it will be challenging and will require everyone’s engagement to improve on what the Senate has done. But one thing is clear: although much of the debate to date has concentrated on attacks against the content of the Senate bill, without Senate-approved legislation the House will not take up this issue, and the possibilities to improve upon Senate measures and to address one of the most pressing national issues will be lost.

We stand with the vast majority of Americans who demand a workable solution to this issue and who understand that our lives and our values are deeply intertwined with the condition and fate of immigrants. The nation is watching how Senators will respond to the next votes, because the status quo is untenable for our country and our communities, and it will deteriorate even further is Congress fails to act this year. The time to lead is now.”

The Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CCIR) is a campaign powered by the strategic, coordinated activities of immigrant advocacy, civil rights, faith-based and labor organizations across the United States and Capitol Hill. Our central purpose is to achieve passage of workable comprehensive immigration reform legislation that serves the nation.

Major Cities Police Chiefs Association on State and Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws

The chiefs of police of America's major cities recently issued a statement outlining 5 concerns about state and local law enforcement of immigration laws not being addressed in current policy discussions and recommended nine points that the President and Congress address in formulating immigration policy.

The five concerns about current policy under consideration are:

1. It undermines the trust and cooperation with immigrant
communities which are essential elements of community oriented
policing.
2. Local agencies do not possess adequate resources to enforce these laws in addition to the added responsibility of homeland security.
3. Immigration laws are very complex and the training required to understand them would significantly detract from the core mission of the local police to create safe communities.
4. Local police do not posses clear authority to enforce the civil aspects of these laws. If given the authority the federal government does not have the capacity to handle the volume of immigration violations that currently exist.
5. The lack of clear authority increases the risk of civil liability for local police and government.

The 9 recommendations are:

1. Securing the borders must be a top priority.
2. Enforcement of the laws prohibiting the hiring of illegal immigrants.
3. Consulting and involving local police agencies when developing any immigration initiative is imperative if the initiative is to involve local agencies.
4. Federal law must not mandate local enforcement of federal law - all law enforcement initiatives must be completely voluntary.
5. There should be no reduction or shifting of current federal funding for state and local programs to pay for new immigration enforcement activities.
6. Any initiative involving local police agencies should be incentive
based.
7. The authority and limitation of liability for local law enforcement
officers and police agencies must be clear.
8. Civil immigration detainers must be removed from the NCIC system.
9. MCC members are united in their commitment to continue arresting anyone who violates the criminal laws of their jurisdictions regardless of the immigration status of the perpetrator.

The chiefs conclude:

Most local police agencies have adopted policies of not inquiring about immigration status of individuals that are reporting crimes or in other encounters unless the person is suspected of committing a crime. Those policies have developed over the past 25 years because of law enforcement’s commitment to provide protection to everyone within their jurisdiction and more recently because of state and federal laws prohibiting racial profiling. In addition, the federal government does not have the capacity to deal with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in the US today. As Congress and the President wrestle with these difficult issues it is important that national policy reflect a clear understanding of the enormous challenges that local police face in dealing with illegal immigration.

Immigration in the News

Here's a link to the AP produced, sponsored content page on the Pilot that has some good interactive resources describing the Senate immigration bill in the right hand column along with a good story about what's happening on the Hill today.

Margaret Edds from the Pilot suggests "When all else fails, try compromise". As Edds points out, any immigration reform proposal must honor three truths to gain the votes it needs to pass:

To accept wholesale flouting of the law is more than a nation built on laws can bear.

To round up and deport 12 million illegal immigrants would rip the heart of a nation in which generosity and compassion are core values.

The American economy has come to depend on the labor of undocumented workers.

Edds says that Congress can pass the Senate bill that honors these three truths now or spend another 10 years arguing to get to the same three essential realities.

Tell your Senators and representatives that it's time to compromise and to act!

Readings from the Roanoke Times on Immigration

Here are a couple of articles/commentaries on immigration that appeared in the Roanoke Times.

Can debate cool down sans reform? by Beth Macy

Note the comments by Christiansburg organizer of a New River Valley chapter of the Minutemen:
"There are certainly lots of people who think that any reference to race is wrong. But the reality is that for every nation on the face of this planet, it's within their best interests to protect themselves and their biological stock," [Roger]Duncan said.

Believing in the American Dream -- for all by Ed Lynch, Hollins professor and chair of the Republican Party of Roanoke County

Lynch takes conservatives to task for opposing immigration reform:

From far too many self-styled conservatives, the rhetoric today is that of fear, of limits, of lowered expectations, of pessimism, of exclusion and of anger. It makes me wonder: When did some conservatives decide to embrace malaise? When did conservatives decide to reject Reagan and Bush, and to become Jimmy Carter?

Both of these are worth reading.

Virginia's Dreamers

The Richmond Times Dispatch had a good series of articles this week on the Richmonders participating in the Dreams Across America program designed to highlight the need to pass sane and humane immigration reform.

One of the dreams highlighted by the tour is the dream of educational opportunity offered by the DREAM Act which is included in the Senate comprehensive immigration reform bill.

The current version of the DREAM Act would repeal a provision of federal law that has been interpreted by the Virginia Attorney General to prohibit Virginia from allowing undocumented students who are graduates of Virginia high schools to attend college as in-state students even if they can show that they are state taxpayers.

Read more about what state college leaders think about the issue of in-state tuition and undocumented students here and the issues of inclusion and access including the DREAM Act here.

Read the RTD's stories:
Area Immigrants Lobby Congress for Change
Students Pursue Immigration Reform
Some Immigrants Seek Freedom from Abusers
Goals of Immigrants Vary
Turnout Low for Immigration Rally

Comprehensive immigration reform is essential to keep the American dream alive.

Congratulations to Alexcia Monk and Cristina Reibel for their hard work on the Virginia Dreams Across American program!

UPDATE: From this morning's Richmond Times Dispatch ... a hard hearted editorial links the non-criminal immigration violations of dreamers with "selling drugs" and "stealing cars" ... or, as is increasingly popular among immigration opponents, "breaking into houses." But, the children who are facing uncertain futures did none of these things...they simply were born to parents who came here to seek a better life. No one is suggesting that their parents get "off the hook" as this editorial suggests. But, allowing their parents to pay penalties and get on the path to legalization if they haven't committed criminal acts will restore respect for the rule of law, enhance our nation's security and keep these families together in their pursuit of the American dream.

THE CHILDREN
Illegal Aliens
Richmond Times Dispatch Editorial
June 22, 2007

The touching story about Iria Gomez-Garcia and her two younger brothers highlights a painful dilemma inherent in the immigration debate. The three children recently took part in the Dreams Across America Tour by traveling to Washington and sharing their story at a rally in favor of looser immigration laws.

The dilemma, of course, is that the children are the victims of a cruel set of circumstances: Their parents are in the country illegally.

Agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency already have tried to round up their father, who has an outstanding deportation order hanging over his head. Dad hasn't eaten dinner with the kids or slept under the same roof in months. Mom, who has overstayed her visa, wouldn't consent to be identified in a news story. No one can fail to be touched by Iria's plaintive appeal to federal authorities: "Give [my parents] papers so we can live in peace."

Many children of parents who sell drugs or steal cars want to live in peace, too. But that's not a sufficient reason to let their parents off the hook.

Is it wrong to want to live in America? Of course not. It's not wrong to want a nice house, either. But it's wrong to break into someone else's house -- and it's wrong to violate the law and break into America, too. There's a right way to do things, and a wrong way. Iria's parents picked the wrong way.

Now their children are sad. That's not America's fault -- it's theirs.

Webb and Immigration Reform -- Report from The Hill

Manu Raju writes for The Hill today that Senator Webb is one of three Democratic freshmen in the Senate whose votes will be critical to the outcome of comprehensive immigration reform.

Call Senator Webb in Washington or at one of his regional offices to let him know that you support comprehensive reform and that you hope that he will vote for the bill even if the amendment he has proposed doesn't make it into the final version.

Please call until you get through. The opposition is flooding his office with calls so we need to be patient and persistent to ensure that our voice is heard.

Senator Webb can be reached in DC at 202-224-4024; in Richmond at 804-771-2221; in Hampton Roads at 757-518-1674; and in Roanoke at 540-772-4236.

While you're calling, don't forget to let Senator Warner know that you support comprehensive reform, too.

Senator Warner can be reached in DC at 202-224-2023; in Richmond at 804-739-0247; in Hampton Roads at 757-441-3079; in Roanoke at 540-857-2676 and in Abingdon at 276-628-8158.

ChangeServant: Why Progressives (and Others) Should Oppose Webb's Amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation

ChangeServant: Why Progressives (and Others) Should Oppose Webb's Amendment to the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation

Best of the Immigration Fact Check: Top 10 Common Myths

Here's something useful out of the White House ... a refutation of the top 10 myths being passed around about comprehensive immigration reform.

Introducing Virginians for CIR Now

Welcome to Virginians for CIR (Comprehensive Immigration Reform) Now.

This is a new blog created to provide a forum for the exchange of information among Virginians in favor of comprehensive immigration reform. Everyone pro and con is invited to participate in the conversation through the comments section, and comments will be moderated to ensure civility of tone, not to censure content/subject matter.

Claire Guthrie Gastanaga
Virginia Coordinator
Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform