Los grupos que defienden los derechos de los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos multiplican acciones de cabildeo en el Congreso para pedir a los senadores que introduzcan modificaciones al proyecto de ley de reforma migratoria que resolvieron comenzar a debatir el lunes.

Algunas de estas agrupaciones organizaron este martes un evento en salas del Congreso para pedir cambios al proyecto, menos de 24 horas despu?de que el Senado abriera formalmente el debate sobre una iniciativa de ley que es producto de un acuerdo de democratas y republicanos, con apoyo de la Casa Blanca.

Where as the political climate seems uncertain, we must have different approach to discussing Comprehensive Immigration Reform; and

Where as we must build bridges between the peoples of the U.S. and Mexico instead of walls that segregate them and turn them into competitors in a struggle for survival and we must take immediate action to stop the deaths along the border and end border militarization; and

Where as we must analyze the disastrous effects of free trade agreements like NAFTA on the economies of “sender” countries and end all economic and foreign policies that leave people in “sender” countries with no choice but to migrate in order to support their families; and

Where as our government must provide a clear and easy legalization program for the millions of undocumented immigrants who have built their homes here and contributed greatly to the prosperity of the U.S. economy and where all immigrants deserve the full rights accorded to U.S. citizens, not a second-class status; and

Where as the U.S. government must clear the backlogs of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who have been waiting to legalize their status since the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and allow more families to reunite with their loved ones by expanding the definition of “family” under current immigration law; and

Where as the Bracero-style guest worker programs and other forms of labor exploitation should be eliminated, and the labor system made to benefit workers and their families, not corporations and agribusiness and where all Increased labor protections for immigrant workers should also include the freedom of movement between jobs, the right to collective bargaining across national borders; and

Where as we call an end the criminalization of work through the use of 1-9 audits, E-verify, “silent raids,” and other tactics used to carry out mass firings of workers and where all workers, immigrants included, have the right to work and seek work without the fear of retaliation; and

Where as immigrants and their families have the right to live in their communities without fear; and

Where as many people in the immigrant community look with hope towards the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 (CIR ASAP), recently introduced by Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL). The bill does make some positive and much-needed changes to the immigration system. However, it fails to change the basic ‘enforcement first’ structure of the U.S. immigration system. The bill also falls far short of meeting the just demands raised by the grassroots immigrant rights movement, including an end to the raids and deportations and the militarization of the border, increased protections for immigrant workers, and a fair legalization for all; and

Where as On Border Security: The bill increases militarization of the border, guaranteeing the continued deaths of thousands of desperate workers instead of addressing the root causes that fuel immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border. Although 287(g) and Operation Streamline will be suspended, the bill increases collaboration between police and ICE agents along the border; and

Where as On the Immigrant Detention System: The bill fails to ban the privatization of the detention system, which has led to an increasing number of human rights abuses at the hands of for-profit, non-transparent corporations. Although some improvements are made to conditions in detention centers, immigrants will continue to be criminalized under the current system of enforcement; and

Where as On Enforcement Activities: While providing a few protections for vulnerable populations picked up in raids, the bill does not guarantee due process procedures for those being deported;

At the same time, while in theory suspending the 287(g) program, or polimigra, the bill also seeks to accelerate (at least in border areas) the process of integrating local and state law enforcement agents into the detention and deportation of immigrant workers.

Where as On Employment Verification: The proposal mandates the use of the Employment Verification (E-Verify) system by all employers within three years. It also requires employers to fire workers whose social security numbers don’t match Social Security Administration databases. This results in the criminalization of immigrant workers and gives employers another tool to break unions and degrade workers’ rights across the board; and

Where as On Family Unity: Although increasing the numbers of family visas available, the proposal fails to eliminate three- to ten-year bars to people living without documents in the United States. Such law as it currently stands has resulted in unnecessary family separation and suffering; and

Where as On Legalization: The bill will not grant a fair and fast path for the millions of undocumented immigrants who deserve a chance to legalize their status quickly and affordably. Instead, the bill creates a new conditional non-immigrant status (CNIS) visa. Those with CNIS visas will be granted only a second-class status, and may have to wait an additional 12 to 13 years before becoming legalized; and

Where as On Agricultural Jobs: The Gutierrez bill includes the AgJOBS Act of 2009, to provide temporary “blue card” visas to undocumented farm workers who have been living in the United States. In the past, temporary visa programs like the infamous Bracero program have been rife with abuse, benefiting growing companies and not workers; and

Where as On Students: The Gutierrez bill also includes the DREAM Act. However, all undocumented youth should be guaranteed full rights and educational benefits.
Where as On Future Flows of Immigrants: The bill creates a Commission on Immigration and Labor Markets to determine the future quotas of temporary legal immigration visas. Any changes in immigration and labor policies will be based on the report of that commission. The establishment of this commission is the first step towards setting up an expanded guest worker program;

1 Therefore we call that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso to generate a national debate based on immigration as a labor mobility and human rights issue, not as an issue of national security and enforcement. Immigrants have made vast contributions to the U.S., and they should be granted the right to live here legally and without fear. We should recognize migration as the global phenomenon it is and address the root economic causes of migration; and

2 Therefore we call that the organizations represented by delegates of the 2010 National Latino Congreso to call for a moratorium on raids and deportations, end ‘enforcement first’ policies like 287(g) and Secure Communities, eliminate the privatization of the detention system, and decriminalize the status of undocumented workers and extend equal rights to all by ratifying the International Convention on the Protection of Migrant Workers.