The Senate just began considering the
Immigration Reform bill this week.
Debate is expected to continue over the next three weeks. The Presbyterian Church (USA) has long
supported comprehensive immigration reform that provides a pathway to
citizenship, protects family unity, and does not unnecessarily militarize our
southern border. The bill being considered
on the Senate floor is not perfect, but it is an important step in the right
direction toward embracing all of our brothers and sisters.
Send a message
to your Senators today in support of comprehensive immigration reform.
Over the next three weeks, the Office of
Public Witness and the Office of Immigration
Issues will be active in monitoring this process. Stay tuned to your inbox and our blog for regular
updates and action items.
In addition to emailing your Senators:
Call the Senate TODAY: Wednesday, June 12
Protect the immigration bill from Grassley
#1195, which would delay the path to citizenship.
Call the Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 or find Senators' direct
lines at http://www.capwiz.com/pcusa/dbq/officials/
Feel free to use this sample script:
"I am from [City,
State, Congregation], and I support humane and compassionate immigration
reform. As a person of faith, I urge the Senator to vote NO to Grassley Amendment #1195, which
would significantly delay and undermine the path to citizenship."
More information on
amendments being considered today:
OPPOSE GRASSLEY
Amendment 1195: This amendment would
significantly delay access to the initial registration process of the path to
citizenship. It would prevent our undocumented community members from obtaining
Registered Provisional Immigrants (RPI) status until the Secretary of the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) certifies to Congress that DHS has
maintained “effective control” over the entire southern border for six months. This
amendment may be voted as early as noon on Wednesday, June 12.
Grassley 1195 is
unnecessary and flies in the face of workable policy and real solutions. The
pathway to citizenship in S 744 is already tough, long and must be earned. But
it must be attainable in order to be effective. This amendment would
further delay a process that already will take at least 13 years. The drafters
of the bill worked long and hard to reach bipartisan agreement on the
enforcement triggers in the bill, and this amendment undermines that
hard-fought bipartisan agreement.
Follow @PCUSAWashington and
"like" the Office
of Public Witness on Facebook to receive the most up-to-date alerts on
amendments being considered in the Senate floor debate. Find Your Senators' Twitter names on their websites (http://www.senate.gov) and urge them to support positive amendments and oppose negative
amendments by tweeting @[their twitter name]. Ex: "@Sen_JoeManchin As a WV person of faith I support #immigrationreform. Please oppose Grassley #1195 which would
delay #pathtocitizenship #cir"
More amendments likely to come up soon:
·
Leahy amendment to
provide equivalent treatment for the spouses and minor children of certain
long-term contract agricultural workers and W-1 visa holders. (#1181)
· Leahy amendment to recognize, for purposes of
the Immigration and Nationality Act, any marriage entered into full compliance
with the laws of the State or foreign country within which such marriage was
performed. (#1182)
· Leahy amendment to encourage and facilitate
international participation in the performing arts. (#1183)
· Schumer amendment to prohibit franchisors from
being held civilly liable for violations of section 274A of the Immigration and
Nationality Act that are committed by a franchisee. (#1184)
· Schumer amendment to permit aliens employed by
foreign utility companies to provide relief to United States communities during
an emergency or disaster. (#1185)
· Schumer amendment to establish reasonable time
limitations for submitting and processing merit-based visa applications.
(#1186)
· Schumer amendment to make a technical
correction with respect to STEM immigrants. (#1187)
· Schumer amendment to waive the 3-year and
10-year bars with respect to merit-based track two immigrants visas. (#1188)
· Schumer amendment to place a hard cap on H-1B
nonimmigrant visas of 180,000. (#1189)
· Schumer amendment to exempt public
universities hiring H-1B non-immigrants from prohibition against displacing US
workers. (#1190)
· Schumer amendment to clarify that a total of
10,500 visas are available each fiscal year for nonimmigrants described in
section 101(a)(15)(E)(vi) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. (#1191)
· Schumer amendment to authorize the Secretary
of Homeland Security to designate international airports in the United States
at which aliens arriving to and departing from the United States shall be
subject to biometric inspections and to issue reasonable notice requirements
for aircraft carrying aliens to or from the United States. (#1192)
· Schumer amendment to exempt nonprofit
education and research institutions from the definitions of H-1B dependent
employer and H-1B skilled worker dependent employer. (#1193)
· Schumer amendment to change the start date for
merit-based program to align with the repeal of the diversity visa program.
(#1194)
· Grassley amendment to prohibit the granting of
registered provisional immigrant status until the Secretary has maintained
effective control of the borders for 6 months. (#1195)
· Thune amendment to delay the grating of
registered provisional immigrant status to any alien until the governors of the
States along the Southern border approve the Secretary of Homeland Security’s
Comprehensive Southern Border Security Strategy and certify that the strategy
has been substantially implemented. (#1196)
· Thune amendment to require the completion of
the 350 miles of reinforced, double-layered fencing described in section
102(b)(1)(A) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
of 1996 before RPI status may be granted and to require the completion of 700
miles of such fencing before the status of registered provisional immigrants
may be adjusted to permanent resident status. (#1197)
· Tester amendment to modify the Border
Oversight Task Force to include tribal government officials. (#1198)
· Boxer amendment to require training for
National Guard and Coast Guard agents in training programs on border
protection, immigration law enforcement, and how to address vulnerable
populations, such as children and victims of crime. (#1199)
· Paul amendment to provide for enhanced border security,
including strong border security metrics and congressional votes on border
security and for other purposes. (#1200)
· Vitter amendment to prohibit the temporary
grant of legal status to, or adjustment to citizenship status of, any
individual who is unlawfully present in the US until the DHS Secretary
certifies that the US-VISIT System (a biometric border check-in and check-out
system first required by Congress in 1996) has been fully implemented at every
land, sea, air port of entry. (#1201)
· Paul amendment to secure the Treasury and
protect taxpayers against registered provisional immigrants, refugees, asylees,
and other aliens from being dependent on welfare. (#1202)
· Inhofe amendment to amend the Immigration and
Nationality Act to provide for extensions of detention of certain aliens
ordered removed, and for other purposes. (#1203)
· Inhofe amendment to declare English as the
official language of the United States, to establish a uniform English language
rule for naturalization, and to avoid misconstructions of the English language
texts of the laws of the United States, pursuant to Congress’ powers to provide
for the general welfare of the United States and to establish a uniform rule of
naturalization under article 1, section 8, of the United States Constitution.
(#1204)
· Inhofe amendment to ensure that an employer
has the freedom to implement English in the workplace policies. (#1205)
· Inhofe amendment to amend title 31, United
States Code, to end speculation on the current cost of multilingual services
provided by the Federal Government, and for other purposes. (#1206)
· Lee amendment to prohibit the Secretaries of
the Interior and Agriculture from taking action on public lands which impede
border security on such lands, and for other purposes. (#1207)
· Lee amendment to require fast-track
congressional approval when the Secretary of Homeland Security notifies
Congress of the implementation of the border security strategies and certifies
that the strategies are substantially operational. (#1208)
· Lee amendment to clarify that the registered
provisional immigrant program shall be funded only by fees. (#1209)
· Lee amendment to prohibits aliens who have
absconded or have attempted to reenter the United States after receiving a
deportation order from receiving registered provisional immigrant status.
(#1210)
· Lee amendment to remove offenses committed
under foreign law from the grounds of ineligibility for RPI status. (#1211)
· Lee amendment to enhance the requirements on
payment of taxes to be satisfied by applicants for RPI. (#1212)
· Lee amendment to prohibit the waiver or
reduction of penalties payable for applications for adjustment to RPI. (#1213)
· Lee amendment to prohibit the use of sworn
affidavits or other unspecified documents to verify the employment or education
of registered provisional immigrants applying for permanent residence. (#1214)
· Lee amendment to require annual reports on the
amounts of Federal means-tested public benefits provided in each State. (#1215)
· Lee amendment to require intent in certain
prohibitions on discrimination based on national origin or citizenship status.
(#1216)
Lee amendment to increase
the number of W nonimmigrant visas available during each fiscal year. (#1217)
