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Health & Fitness

Immigration Reform: We Can't Hear You!

Immigration attorney with over 30 years of experience discussing comprehensive immigration reform that is in discussions right now in the US Senate.

Speak up and let your voice be heard regarding Immigration Reform.  Right now our US Senate is discussing immigration reform.  Some senators are proposing that immigration reform be delayed until a BIG FENCE is built along the US-Mexican border.  How tall should the fence be?  Some say that if we build a 19-ft fence, people will buy 20 ft. ladders.

 In my lifetime, I saw the fall of the Berlin Wall.  That wall did not work, even with armed guards ready to shoot to kill, and that wall wasn’t nearly as long as the fence that would need to span the borders of California, Arizona and Texas.  Also, we would not have armed guards ready to shoot to kill anyone crossing over. 

 Senate Bill # S.744:  Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) is offering about 30 amendments to the Immigration Reform package, including measures which would REQUIRE Congress to approve the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirement to submit a comprehensive border security strategy and fencing plan BEFORE any undocumented immigrants can begin to apply for temporary status 

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 If YOU take just 5 minutes to call your US Senator and ask for support of border reform that is realistic, specific, cost-effective and that does not delay or hinder meaningful immigration reform, we could be that much closer to immigration reform by this summer.

 Any amendments to S. 744 should recognize that Law Enforcement Officers at our borders should be given discretion to target priorities; there must be strong civil rights protections, adequate training, and oversight to hold law enforcement accountable and well-equipped.    

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 Bill S. 744 is being discussed and marked up in the US Senate right now.   For live stream of the mark-up, go to http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?

 Senator Lee wants to increase the number of low-skilled workers who can come to the US on a newly-created W-visa to 200,000 and eventually raise the cap to 400,000 (far more than the 20,000 proposed by the Gang of Eight.)  This may anger labor unions, but could significantly reduce the horrible backlogs that exist today, and could fill low-skilled positions which US citizens will not take; such as night janitors, pizza delivery, farm-workers, etc.

 Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is filing an amendment to cap the number of low-skilled positions at 30 million over a decade.  Sessions would also like to narrow the categories of persons who could apply under the new law, such as eliminating those who have had Orders of Deportation/Removal or who have already been deported/removed, but have returned to the US.  This could mean that parents who have been deported, and who have US citizen-children who are still too young to sponsor the parent, could not return to the US to be reunited with their children. 

 Stay informed.  MAKE YOUR VOICE COUNT.  Call your US Senator and tell him/her that you want to see Comprehensive Immigration Reform this summer!

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