Immigration Meetings Held Across U.S.
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SAN FRANCISCO, Apr 6 (OneWorld) - An immigration coalition known as the Rights Working Group held hundreds of community meetings Thursday to push for immigration reform that "restores basic civil liberties and human rights, protects our core American values of fairness and justice, and defends due process for everyone."
The coalition, which includes groups like the United Farm Workers Union, National Network for Arab American Communities, and the Asian American Justice Center, called April 5th its "Night of 1,000 Conversations." "It's an amazing grassroots action that shows that people across the country care about due process," said Pramila Jayapal, executive director of Hate Free Zone, a Seattle-based group formed in the aftermath of September 11, 2001. "We're amazed at how quickly this has picked up steam," she added, noting that more than 500 events were planned to be held in at least 13 languages in 27 states, "demonstrating the diversity of our country." The impetus for these conversations is the STRIVE Act of 2007 (Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy), a bipartisan immigration reform measure introduced in Congress by Representatives Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). Meetings -- mostly among groups of 20 people or less -- were held in living rooms, basements, back yards, community centers, schools, and places of worship, with participants discussing their own experiences with the U.S. immigration system and taking action by writing to lawmakers or organizing future lobbying efforts. In New York City alone, six "conversations" were planned for Thursday night, including one at the Latin American Integration Center sponsored by the international human rights organization Breakthrough. The group also produced and sent out thousands of advocacy toolkits -- including a discussion guide and a DVD with video stories, animations, and a music video -- to be incorporated into the nationwide meetings. The STRIVE Act, which was a key discussion point for many of Thursday's events, would give many of the United States' estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants the opportunity to become citizens if they complete criminal and security background checks, show evidence of employment, undergo a medical examination, and pay any outstanding back-taxes for the period the worker had been in the country illegally. In most cases undocumented immigrants who want to become citizens would also have to leave the country and re-enter with a legal visa. All would have to pay a $1,500 application fee, meet English proficiency requirements, and show understanding of the American system of government. "As the son of an immigrant and a resident of Chicago, I know first hand that immigrants make this country strong," the head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Rep. Rahm Emmanuel (D-IL), said at the bill's unveiling two weeks ago. "Those who have lived in this country for years -- who have held jobs, started families, and established roots in American communities -- deserve the opportunity to earn their citizenship." Immigrant rights groups applaud that part of the bill, but they're troubled about other provisions they say have given too much power to law enforcement. They want Congress to stop judges from deporting U.S. residents without considering individualized circumstances. "There are many people who have come to this country when they're very young, babies even, and they're now being sent back to places where they probably don't speak the language and have no family members left," said Karen Narasaki, president and executive director of the Washington, DC-based Asian American Justice Center. "We want to stop automatic deportation [of undocumented immigrants] without any due process." Rights groups are also upset that the STRIVE Act would authorize construction of 20 new detention facilities with the capacity to imprison 20,000 immigrants. Immigrants rounded up in federal raids could be held at closed military bases throughout the United States as well. The measure would also require the Department of Homeland Security to make "biometric data enhancements to travel documents" and beef up the use of technology in guarding the U.S.-Mexican border, "including unmanned aerial vehicles, cameras, poles, sensors, and other technologies necessary to achieve operational control." Immigrant rights activists say the STRIVE Act is a big improvement over HR 4437, a measure that passed the House of Representatives last year. The bill would have made it a crime to be an undocumented immigrant in the United States or to help those who remain in the United States without legal documentation. It also would have required churches and non-profit organizations to require proof of legal status before providing charity and it would have mandated construction of a giant fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. That bill was scrapped after millions of immigrants and trade unionists demonstrated across the United States on May 1, 2006. Among the rallies that took place that day, hundreds of thousands turned out in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami, and 75,000 protested in Denver. "The STRIVE Act is by far the best legislation we've seen in the House," said Hate Free Zone's Pramila Jayapal. "We believe that no bill is going to be absolutely perfect but that we should continue to push very, very hard for the absolute bottom lines of things that must be in there." Jayapal's group believes that includes providing legalization and a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, reunifying families divided by bureaucratic policies, protecting workers' rights regardless of their immigration status, and ensuring that all immigrants get their day in court with judges who can use discretion depending on individual immigration circumstances. The Bush administration has yet to announce its immigration plan. Immigrant rights advocates don't expect major developments or negotiations between the White House and Congress until after lawmakers return from their Easter recess. ....................................................................................
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