On Monday, May 20, the Senate Judiciary Committee will be considering amendments relating to refugees, family unity, and the pathway to citizenship in the bipartisan immigration bill, S. 744. Judiciary committee members need to hear from all people of faith across the country – not just those who live in their states – about how these amendments will impact our communities. Please call all day Monday, May 20 and prepare for calls throughout this week.
Please call 1-866-940-2439 to speak with the office of a specific Judiciary Committee member.
Below is a sample script. If you get an answering machine, please leave a message. Staff will be reporting to members about the number of calls for and against each amendment. More information on the amendments is below.
NOTE: Please refer to each amendment by the sponsor’s NAME and associated NUMBER.
“As a person of faith, I urge the Senator to OPPOSE amendments offered by Senators Graham, Grassley and Sessions that which would prevent refugees and asylum seekers from seeking safety and protection, needlessly expand immigration detention, and narrow or delay the pathway to citizenship.
I also urge the Senator to SUPPORT amendments to improve family unity and make the pathway to citizenship more accessible – including all Hirono, Blumenthal, Franken and Coons amendments.”
OPPOSE AMMENDMENTS THAT WOULD HURT REFUGEES, ASYLUM SEEKERS, AND INDIVIDUALS PURSUING CITIZENSHIP
GRAHAM AMENDMENTS #1 and #3, and Cruz #2, 3, 4
Graham #1 would terminate protection for refugees, asylees and stateless persons in the U.S. if they return to their country of origin. Some people risk their lives to return to see a dying loved one, aid with the care and protection of their children, or advance human rights. Graham #3 would require an additional layer of screening for RPI applicants from certain countries, which could delay protection for individuals fleeing persecution. Cruz’s amendments would bar undocumented individuals from citizenship and from benefits forever.
ALL GRASSLEY AMENDMENTS
Grassley #25, 26, 27, 52 would strike all of the positive refugee and asylum provisions from the base bill, including provisions that would improve access to life-saving protection for religious minorities in Iran and stateless people currently without legal protection. Grassley #52 in particular would delay positive changes to the asylum and student visa provisions in the bill by falsely conflating them with the Boston Marathon bombings. Grassley #40, 41, 47, 51, 53 would weaken due process and broaden the use of immigration detention. Grassley #7, 8, 11, 13, 14, 17, 21, 22, 37, 42, 43, 44, 45, 73, 74, 76 would make individuals with RPI status not ‘lawfully present’, which would restrict access to driver’s licenses among other things; deny RPI status to individuals who are in removal proceedings, have been accused of gang involvement, ordered deported or denied asylum; restrict the RPI application periods to 12 months; require DREAMers to pay fines; limit the documents that can be used to prove length of time in the U.S.; make more onerous the employment, education and English requirements; and restrict judicial review of adjustment applications, deportations and bars to entry.
ALL SESSIONS, HATCH and LEE AMENDMENTS
Sessions #3, 10, 12, 17, 33, 34, 39 would penalize immigrants who use public assistance; increase minimum bond amounts; encourage racial profiling and anti-immigrant ordinances; and indefinitely stall the temporary worker program. Sessions #10, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 35, 43, 47, 48 would delete all points individuals could receive in the merit-based system for being a sibling or married child of a U.S. citizen or being from a diverse country; encourage state anti-immigrant laws; deport people during the implementation of the bill; deny individuals based on speculation that they might use public benefits in the future; and restrict individuals who have been deported or committed a minor crime from the pathway to citizenship. Hatch #19, 20 and Lee #16, 17 would prevent vulnerable populations, including those who have sought asylum but been denied, from relief and protection if they have ever attempted to use a false passport. Hatch #3, 5, 14, 23, 24 would mandate DNA samples to apply for the pathway to citizenship; restrict access to health care; and tighten employment criteria and income requirements for those on the pathway to citizenship. Lee #7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17 would restrict individuals from the pathway to citizenship if they entered the U.S. after 2009, have ever attempted to use a fraudulent document or re-entered after being deported, limit the documents that can be used to prove employment; and increase back-taxes to be paid.
SUPPORT AMENDMENTS TO IMPROVE FAMILY UNITY & PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP
ALL HIRONO AMENDMENTS
Hirono #5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13 would allow U.S. citizens to continue sponsoring their siblings and married children over 31, raise the cut-off date for married kids to 39 instead of 31, and improve the likelihood for these family members to be reunited, especially when their U.S. citizen family member has not used the family visa system before or would experience hardship. Hirono #12, 14, 16, 17 would allow individuals to pay fines in installments, allow individuals with registered provisional immigrant (RPI) status to sponsor their spouse and children outside of the U.S., provide access to health care for individuals with RPI status, children and pregnant women, and allow states to provide health care to DREAMers, agricultural workers, and some individuals with RPI status.
ALL BLUMENTHAL, FRANKEN, COONS AMENDMENTS and FEINSTEIN #14
Blumenthal #1, 11, 14, 15 and Feinstein #14 would expand access to the pathway to citizenship for individuals who entered the U.S. after the bill’s deadline of January 1, 2012, as well as individuals who may not be able to meet the income requirements due to a violation of their rights, or who have committed minor crimes such as missing a hearing or immigration-related violations. Blumenthal #1 (The ‘Little Dreamers Amendment’) would allow children under 18 to access the same five-year path to citizenship currently in the bill for DREAMers.
Blumenthal #2, 7, 8, 13, 17; Franken #7, 9 and Coons #6, 8, 12, 13 would help survivors of genocide and domestic violence; protect children and improve oversight in detention and deportation proceedings; allow asylum seekers to work while they await their hearings; codify ICE policy restricting immigration enforcement actions at schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
*Please note that you likely will not be connected with your own Senator’s office through this number, unless they are a specific Judiciary Committee member. This is the best way to raise our voices at this moment. Judiciary members know they are responsible to ALL of us as they consider amendments. Feel free to call 1-866-940-2439 multiple times to connect with all priority Judiciary members. To call directly, see the committee list at www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members.cfm. For more information, go to www.interfaithimmigration.org.
Follow the markup live at a link provided at www.judiciary.senate.gov. On Twitter, use #CIRmarkup, #SJC (senate judiciary committee), #timeisnow, #p2c (path to citizenship).You can also tweet at Judiciary Committee members: @SenatorLeahy, @SenFeinstein, @ChuckSchumer, @SenatorDurbin, @SenWhitehouse, @amyklobuchar, @alfranken, @ChrisCoons, @SenBlumenthal, @maziehirono, @ChuckGrassley, @OrrinHatch, @SenatorSessions, @LindseyGrahamSC, @JohnCornyn, @SenMikeLee, @tedcruz, @JeffFlake
