New Immigration Bill Hearings Next Week
Wed Aug 29, 2007 at 12:10:05 AM PDT
There were some strong rumblings in the internet that the House will be having Hearings on immigration reform (Strive Act) next week when they get back from recess.
The Strive Act contains both the Dream Act and AgJobs.
Back from vacation Congress will start talking about the Immigration Reform. Apparently, the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law, of the House Judiciary Committee, is TENTATIVELY scheduled to hold a hearing on the STRIVE Act. Supposedly, there is bipartisan support for the bill.
Dream Act (S. 774 & H.R. 1275)
The Dream Act would allow eligible high school graduates, who entered the U.S. as children, to become conditional residents for 6 years. They must have arrived in the U.S. before 16 years of age and be present in the U.S. for 5 years prior to enactment. They need to be a person of good moral character. In order to become a permanent resident they would have to finish 2 years of college in a 4 year program or have done two years of military service and not have been dishonorably discharged.
The Dream Act is important because it keeps kids in school and gives them hope to normalize their situation. Why should they be punished for something that they had no control over?
AgJobs
According to Immigrateusa.us, the AgJobs bill is now being driven by pure need.
http://www.immigrateusa.us/...
According to DHS estimates, approximately one-third or more of U.S. farm workers are in this country illegally.
The AgJobs bill has a real chance of passing in this Congress and before all attention turns to the 2008 presidential election.
As currently proposed, the AgJobs legislation would provide for a path to legal residency, and eventually U.S. citizenship, to 1.5 million undocumented immigrants.
To qualify, undocumented immigrants would have to have been working in the U.S. for a couple of years prior to 2007 as an agricultural worked and would have to pass security checks.
On a different note, energized by the arrest of Elvira Arellano, immigrant advocates in Illinois said Saturday that they hope a congressional hearing next month will involve discussion on ways to keep families together despite the failure to approve immigration reform legislation in June.
Rev. Walter Coleman said Arellano helped to reunify the movement that now will focus its attention on a Sept. 6 hearing before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Immigration.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/...
Although the overwealming majority of Americans support Immigration reform for deserving immigrants, the anti immigrant forces from talk radio and conservative tv outlobbied the pro immigrant forces. Don't let that happen again.
These votes for or against immigration reform will long be remembered, especially by the Latin American community. In 2000 and 2004 they voted in large numbers for the Republicans. In 2006 they trended away. In 2008 they will be watching to see if the Repubicans use them as the scapegoats for the problems in America.
Please POLITELY Call, write or email your Congressman and your Senator and tell them you support comprehensive immigration reform, and especially the Strive Act, Dream Act and AgJobs.
Contact the committee members.
House of Representatives – Immigration SubCommittee
Lofgren, D-Cal (Chairwoman) , Gutierrez, D- ILL, Berman, D-Cal, Lee, D-Tex, Waters, D-Cal, Meehan D-Mass, Delahunt, D-Mass, Sanchez, D-Cal, Davis, D- Ala, Ellison, D-Minn, King, R-Iowa , Gallegly R-Cal, Goodlatte R-Vir, Lungren, R-Cal, Forbes, R-Vir, Gohmert, R-Tex.
http://www.house.gov/...
Contact the Senate Immigration SubCommittee as well.
Edward M. Kennedy, MA (Chair), Joseph R. Biden, Jr., D-DE, Dianne Feinstein, D-CA
Charles E. Schumer, D-NY, Richard J. Durbin, D-IL
John Cornyn, R-TX ,Charles E. Grassley, R-IA, Jon Kyl, R-AZ, Jeff Sessions, R-AL
http://www.senate.gov/...
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