Urgent Call To Action

[rebeccajo 14]

I apologize if this thread should technically be in the News forum, but I'd like to ask your indulgence in the Off Topic Forum as it may get the most attention out there.

There are several threads already in this Forum about the reform. This is a hot potato issue and it is generally impossible to have a good discussion without opinion coming into play. I would ask that you PLEASE try to read what develops here today in a thoughtful manner, and I respectfully ask your participation as a citizen or resident of this nation to exercise your voice.

lal_brandow has already made a plea in another thread and I am taking the liberty of cutting and pasting it here:

"This bill is focused on taking immigration out of the hands of the people (ie : families and businesses) and giving it to the government to support unskilled laborers. What that means is as part of the bill reduced backlog and wait times (sounds good right?, but wait...) by ELIMINATING whole categories of family-reunification visas.

the proposed bill does not classify spouses and children of permanent residents as immediate relatives (huh? ####### are they then??) and phases out like categories after 8 years.

Waiver reform? ha! no such luck. those who are currently traversing the waiver system are lucky. IF this ####### bill gets passed 3 or 10 year bars get turned into PERMANENT BARS. Yup - that means that our dear member Girona's son will be permanently barred from the country.

How about those of us that are stuck for years in security clearances? This is our 2nd round going through this (can we say redundancy??) and not surprisingly- not an important issue! hmmm last I knew having someone in the country for YEARS while a background is checked dosen't sound like national security at its best to me! (especially for my boogey-man arab husband! oooo scary)

If this garbage proposal passes, the best hope any of us going through the legal system can hope for would be to beg for amendments. These are band-aids that got the system all mucked up and disjointed in the first place. Bottom line is this bill is an absolute disaster and goes as far as punishing for those going through the legal way. I am disgusted that a bill that is being brought to the floor on Monday, trying to get rushed through prior to their off session departure from DC so they can all have champagne and pat each other's backs and say we saved the day!

I am not buying an ounce of it. Immigration should be a family and employer benefit. Period. Eliminating family members from immigrating goees against everything this country is founded on. Limiting the number of skilled workers is detrimental for our country as well. It should not be ok for unskilled laborers to have a higher priority than familes. ever.

I would implore those who are currently going through legally to bring your families here to call and email your senators this weekend so they can see first thing on Monday what utter rubbish they are going to be presented with, and how it will negatively affect us all going through legally. We need comprehensive immigration reform deparately, but not at the expense of families."

Also posting here a news article:

http://americanfamiliesunited.org/forum/in...2;topicseen#new

And this release from DHS directly:

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1179511978687.shtm

There is apparently MUCH in this bill that affects families, and not just the hot potato issue of illegal entry.

Please consider what the proposed point system could do to families in the future. This bill, if enacted as proposed, could impact ALL immigrants.

As we have any other links today, we will post them in this thread.

If you find anything in here that concerns you, please please please contact your senators and representatives offices this weekend and Monday morning. This bill is going to the floor on Monday and from the verbal information we have (from lobbyists) it was put together behind closed doors and Senate members had not even had time to read it. Hopefully they and their staff will do their homework over the weekend and we need to do the same.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I don't know whether the DC folks are kidding us or themselves or both.

The temporary worker program, for example "...requires temporary workers who want to bring their immediate family to show that they have the financial means to support them and that they are covered by health insurance."

This raises a couple of questions righ there:

Are we saying that employers that want to employ foreign nationals have to provide them with health care coverage? In that case, there will be an entitlement (at substantial cost to the employer) for the foreign worker that 40million+ Americans can only dream about.

Or are we saying that health care coverage won't be required for the foreign worker in which case the burden of providing health services to those workers will fall on the American taxpayer, which then means that the American taxpayer will be subsidizing the employer of these foreign workers ~ this would be business as usual.

Intersting also that the foreign worker can bring his/her immediate family along while the immediate family of an American will now be subjected to a merit system in order to be able to get here. Americans first no more.

No Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants

Illegal Immigrants Who Come Out Of The Shadows Will Be Given Probationary Status. To maintain their probationary status, they must pass a background check, remain employed, and maintain a clean criminal record.

Illegal Immigrants Who Fulfill Their Probationary Requirements Can Apply For A Z Card, Which Will Enable Them To Live, Work, And Travel Freely. Z card holders will be required to pay a $1,000 fine, meet accelerated English and civics requirements, remain employed, and renew their visa every four years.

I wonder: Will illegals have to show how they paid taxes during the years past? Justify the 10 exemptions they claimed and pay Uncle Sam the owed taxes, penalties and interest like every American would have to? Answer for the fake papers they submitted and answer for identity theft charges if they happen to have used another person's SSN? Or answer falsification of records charges if they used fake, made-up numbers? Be held to account for not having appeared in court for whatever they were to appear in court for? Will they get fired from their jobs like any American would for falsifying company records?

Now, if the answer to my questions is YES, then I say, bring it on. If the answer is NO, however, then these illegals and their employers are, effectively, beneficiaries of a sweeping amnesty. Just declaring "No Amnesty" simply isn't cutting it because it is dishonest.

Oh, and to everyone that has a background chek yet to go through: We better pull up a chair 'cause it would seem that we'll be waiting a while.

This deal is total #######. I hope to get a letter typed up that I can send my Senators and Congressman. They have got to be out of their fcuking mind to even consider this.

[Fandango 1,439]

Complete list of Congress & Govs w/contact info Edited May 19, 2007 by LisaD

[rebeccajo 14]

Thanks Lisa for that list.

[Fandango 1,439]

Thanks Lisa for that list.

No problem. I completely disagree with this reform & am willing to do what I can to see that it doesn't come to pass.

I will volunteer to draft a letter that everyone can send to their reps. Or I'll draft a list of questions to ask if people want to call them.

I am running out the door right now, but will do that later tonight if people are interested. Let me know. Or we could all put our concerns here and I'll incorporate them all into one document.

Let's all brainstorm as to the ACTION we can take to stop this. Posting on a messageboard is all well and good, but it's time for us to ban together and do something. No matter which side of this you stand on...whether pro- or anti- amnesty, this affects every one of us negatively, so we need to DO SOMETHING!

[JenT 0]

I'm tied up most of this weekend as well, but if you draft a letter, Lisa, I'll pass it along in Michigan!

Jen

[rebeccajo 14]

The issue before us is families.

Families are being hurt by the amnesty focus.

We need to urge our reps to look at what is below the surface - what these proposed changes do to the laws as they already stand, and how they affect laws already in place which are ALREADY draconian.

PERMANENT BAR for an overstay? How is that fair? Think about it.

Here is a link for a petition that is already started. My understanding is that petitions need 1000 sigs to have impact. This is a good place to start.

http://americanfamiliesunited.org/ft/

Edited May 19, 2007 by rebeccajo

[LaL 418]

Thanks Lisa & Becca. I am also writing to all my friends and family about this. I rarely, if ever solicit for help in situations, as well all know immigration status is quite a private matter, but this is beyond inability to stomach what they are proposing here.

I am tired of seeing people irritate their congresspeople and senators because their peitions are taking a hellish 2 months. THIS is the important stuff, and we do need to contact our reps now. The senate is our focus for now. Please join us in relaying the message this this bill is grossly unfair to citizens and families. This site was developed initially to combat the Texas Service Center lengthy delays. It would be nice to get back to the roots of VisaJourney.

[Mags 112]

I'm on-board too.

[Fandango 1,439]

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_info...enators_cfm.cfm

Ok, peeps...anyone on board with me drafting a letter....put any thoughts for the letter here & I'll check back before I draft it.

And I really am going v shortly, lol

[Fandango 1,439]

Here's a GREAT link.... email addys of all the staffers for each member of congress.

CC EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!

EDIT: LOL it's be cool if I actually pasted the link

http://www.outsourcecongress.org/outsource...chstaffers.html

Edited May 19, 2007 by LisaD

[rebeccajo 14]

Here's a link to another thread that occured on VJ in the last 24 hours which explains more about the bill:

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=68860

[Fandango 1,439]

Here's a sample letter I found on americanfamiliesunited.org:

"Dear Senator (your Senator's name here):

We urge you to support reforms that would overcome problems currently keeping husbands, wives and children apart in the legal immigration system. Family unity is a crucial pillar of U.S. immigration law, and it is in our national interest to keep families together.

Please support the following family unity provisions in any immigration legislation: immediate relative status for green card nuclear families, equal waiver rights for petition beneficiaries, a future waiver process based on family and community ties, a review process to address long delays in security checks, and fiancee child status protection.

Sincerely,

(your name and address)"

[rebeccajo 14]

That's the AFU petition language, Lisa. We can all put our names to the petition on AFU and send that message, which I would love to see everyone do.

When drafting our letter, it should be something very simple and succinct like that. At least that's what the pols tell me. They literally don't have time to read long-winded messages.

Thanks for your help with this today.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

PERMANENT BAR for an overstay? How is that fair? Think about it.

Interesting that this permanent bar doesn't apply to the illegals. They are about to receive, yet again and to no surprise, preferential treatment. This sort of thing is just outrageous. And then they have the fcuking nerve to say to the American people that this ain't no amnesty. Crooked Bastards!