Date: April 12, 2005
To: Interested Immigration Advocates
From: Maurice Belanger
Re: ACTION ALERT: Senate Takes Up Emergency Spending Bill
AgJOBS May Come Up for a Vote
The Senate has begun to debate the emergency spending bill that will provide additional money for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as relief for December’s tsunami victims. Right now, the Senate version of the bill does not have the REAL ID Act attached to it. Opponents of the REAL ID Act have been unable, in their view, to get a firm commitment from the Senate leader to fight to keep the House provision off the bill when the House and Senate bills are conferenced.
The inclusion of an immigration matter (the REAL ID Act) on the House bill has made immigration “germane” to the spending bill. That is, any immigration provision that Senators wish to discuss or include on the bill may be brought up. Senators on both sides of the isle are preparing amendments which may be offered during Senate debate on the bill. These amendments may include AgJOBS; a bill to increase the number of foreign seasonal non-agricultural workers; a bill to give certain Liberians permanent resident status; legislation regarding unaccompanied minors; and other legislation. There also may be anti-immigrant legislation offered.
A very high-stakes game is shaping up, and ultimately Senators who care about the immigration issue will make their own judgments about the best way to proceed with the spending bill given that the House version contains the REAL ID Act.
Unfortunately, the debate did not get off to a good start. This morning, Senators Kyl and Cornyn spoke about immigration. Sen. Cornyn (R-TX, Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee) said that he is working with Sen. Kyl on an immigration reform bill that will “dramatically strengthen enforcement, bolster border security, and comprehensively reform our laws.” Kyl, for his part, emphasized that we must first get serious about enforcing our laws before we attempt immigration reform. Together, they seemed to say that we must first increase resources to enforce our unenforceable broken immigration laws before we attempt to change them to make them enforceable. Both Senators were clear that they did not think the emergency spending bill was a forum for discussing immigration reform. Yet, neither Senator advocated for the removal of the REAL ID Act.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
First, please understand that the situation is very fluid. AgJOBS may be offered as an amendment. We have heard that, if AgJOBS is offered, there may be a “second degree” amendment, offered by Sen. Chambliss (R-GA), that will basically gut AgJOBS and replace it with a bill that would give agricultural workers the right to work here only temporarily, with no path to citizenship. The Chambliss bill would seriously weaken worker protections, giving growers more power and autonomy over workers than the old bracero program did.
Should AgJOBS be offered, it must be supported in its original form. Please contact your Senators and tell them that you support AgJOBS, which would offer undocumented immigrants working in agriculture a chance to work here legally, and give them a chance to earn permanent legal status. Urge them to reject any effort by Senators who would destroy the compromise that has been reached by farm worker advocates and growers.
You can find resources about AgJOBS on the Web site of the Farmworkers Justice Fund:
http://www.fwjustice.org/LEGISLAT.HTM
A letter, signed by more than 500 organizations supporting the legislation can be found here:
http://www.fwjustice.org/IMAGES/AgJOBS/AgJOBSsignonletterpdf.pdf
We will provide updates as information becomes available.
To: Interested Immigration Advocates
From: Maurice Belanger
Re: ACTION ALERT: Senate Takes Up Emergency Spending Bill
AgJOBS May Come Up for a Vote
The Senate has begun to debate the emergency spending bill that will provide additional money for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as relief for December’s tsunami victims. Right now, the Senate version of the bill does not have the REAL ID Act attached to it. Opponents of the REAL ID Act have been unable, in their view, to get a firm commitment from the Senate leader to fight to keep the House provision off the bill when the House and Senate bills are conferenced.
The inclusion of an immigration matter (the REAL ID Act) on the House bill has made immigration “germane” to the spending bill. That is, any immigration provision that Senators wish to discuss or include on the bill may be brought up. Senators on both sides of the isle are preparing amendments which may be offered during Senate debate on the bill. These amendments may include AgJOBS; a bill to increase the number of foreign seasonal non-agricultural workers; a bill to give certain Liberians permanent resident status; legislation regarding unaccompanied minors; and other legislation. There also may be anti-immigrant legislation offered.
A very high-stakes game is shaping up, and ultimately Senators who care about the immigration issue will make their own judgments about the best way to proceed with the spending bill given that the House version contains the REAL ID Act.
Unfortunately, the debate did not get off to a good start. This morning, Senators Kyl and Cornyn spoke about immigration. Sen. Cornyn (R-TX, Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee) said that he is working with Sen. Kyl on an immigration reform bill that will “dramatically strengthen enforcement, bolster border security, and comprehensively reform our laws.” Kyl, for his part, emphasized that we must first get serious about enforcing our laws before we attempt immigration reform. Together, they seemed to say that we must first increase resources to enforce our unenforceable broken immigration laws before we attempt to change them to make them enforceable. Both Senators were clear that they did not think the emergency spending bill was a forum for discussing immigration reform. Yet, neither Senator advocated for the removal of the REAL ID Act.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
First, please understand that the situation is very fluid. AgJOBS may be offered as an amendment. We have heard that, if AgJOBS is offered, there may be a “second degree” amendment, offered by Sen. Chambliss (R-GA), that will basically gut AgJOBS and replace it with a bill that would give agricultural workers the right to work here only temporarily, with no path to citizenship. The Chambliss bill would seriously weaken worker protections, giving growers more power and autonomy over workers than the old bracero program did.
Should AgJOBS be offered, it must be supported in its original form. Please contact your Senators and tell them that you support AgJOBS, which would offer undocumented immigrants working in agriculture a chance to work here legally, and give them a chance to earn permanent legal status. Urge them to reject any effort by Senators who would destroy the compromise that has been reached by farm worker advocates and growers.
You can find resources about AgJOBS on the Web site of the Farmworkers Justice Fund:
http://www.fwjustice.org/LEGISLAT.HTM
A letter, signed by more than 500 organizations supporting the legislation can be found here:
http://www.fwjustice.org/IMAGES/AgJOBS/AgJOBSsignonletterpdf.pdf
We will provide updates as information becomes available.