STOP ANTI-IMMIGRANT BILLS!

On December 16th, the US House of Representatives passed the “Border Protection, Anti-Terrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act” - HR 4437, one of the most egregious anti-immigrant bills in recent times. BAIRC produced a summary of the Sensenbrenner bill in English, Spanish, and Chinese.

Introduced by James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), HR 4437 promises to erode judicial review, expand the definition of an aggravated felony, criminalize U.S. citizens and legal residents who have routine contact with undocumented immigrants, and increase the potential for employer discrimination and abuse of workers. The House vote was 239 to 182. Following the House vote, debate on the bill moved to the Senate.

On February 24, 2006, advocates in Washington, D.C. obtained a copy of the revised “Chairman’s Mark” - the immigration reform legislation that served as the starting point for the Senate Judiciary Committee’s consideration of comprehensive immigration reform. Introduced by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the bill was a huge disappointment: it incorporated many of the enforcement provisions from the House bill (the Sensenbrenner bill).

BAIRC produced a one-page summary of the Chairman's Mark. The American Immigration Lawyers Association, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the National Immigration Law Center prepared a section-by-section analysis of the Chairman's Mark.

The Senate Judiciary Committee began "marking up" the bill in early March, introducing amendments that stripped the bill of a couple provisions: criminalizing immigrants for being unlawfully present in the U.S. and criminalizing those who assist, employ and have contact with undocumented immigrants. The Senate Judiciary Committee, however, left horrible provisions in place (e.g. doubling the number of border patrol agents, calling for expedited removal without court hearing, expanding the definition of aggravated felony) and even added other misguided provisions (e.g. restrictions that whitle away who would be eligible to apply for legal permanent residency). The Senate bill, in its current form, is far from true immigration reform. The Immigrant Legal Resource Center, one of BAIRC's member groups, has produced summaries pointing our dangerous time bombs, and explaing how the Senate bills would impact due process, employers, state and local governments:

Dangerous Time Bombs in Specter & Frist Immigration Bills

Due Process Dramatically Undermined by Proposed Changes in Immigration Laws

Hidden Measures in Senate Bills Threaten Employers with Long Prison Terms and Property Forteiture

Hidden Measures in Senate Immigration Bills Threaten State and Local Governments with Prison Terms and Unfunded Mandates that Communities Cannot Afford

Debate on the bill continues on the Senate floor where Senators are introducing numerous amendments -- most of them just as damaging as those we've already seen. On Thursday, April 6, the Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to end debate on the bill and consider remaining amendments. Several dynamics are at play: Republicans -- those that support guestworker programs, those that don't support such programs, and those in the minority that support proposals that include both guestworker programs and access to legal permanent residency for undocumented immigrants -- have been meeting with the White House and party leaders to hash out an agreement. A major motivating factor behind the push to reach cloture on Thursday: concerns about the party's standing in an election year. House Republicans have also made noise about their willingness to compromise with Democrats in a conference committee setting (the next place of debate if the bill passes the Sente floor).

If the Senate bill moves to conference committee, where members of the House and Senate would attempt to reconcile their two bills and where extremist legislators have control, we anticipate that members of that committee will produce a devastating immigration bill that undermines the human and civil rights of immigrants.

Throwing a wrench into the mix is Senator Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader clamoring to run for President in 2008. Senator Frist introduced his own enforcement-only bill on the Senate floor in late-March, completely bypassing debate of his bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee. On Thursday, April 6, the Senate will also vote on whether to end debate on the Frist bill and consider remaining amendments. Read a section-by-section analysis of the Frist bill.

ACTION ALERT : What you can do to stop these bills!

1. Call, fax or write California Senators Diane Feinstein and Barbara Boxer TODAY and tell them to vote NO on the Specter and Frist anti-immigrant bills.

• Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Phone: (415) 393-0707, (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954
• Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Phone: (415) 403-0100, (202) 224-3553

2. Help plan BAIRC's Upcoming Actions Join us on Thurs, Apr 6 from 5-7PM at SEIU Local 87 (240 Golden Gate Ave. between Hyde & Leavenworth, SF) to organize for the National Day of Immigrant Action (Mon, Apr 10), a mass mobilization in the Bay Area (Sun, Apr 23), and International Worker's Day (Mon, May 1).

3. Make a donation to BAIRC. Your generous support allows BAIRC to advance justice and dignity for immigrant communities in the Bay Area and across the nation.

4. Stay informed. Subscribe to BAIRC's listserve to receive the latest updates and action alerts.