Action in the House is stalled – Your calls are urgently needed to get Congress to enact immigration reform NOW!
On September 20, the efforts of a bipartisan group in the House of Representatives were interrupted when two Republicans left the group, which had been working on an immigration reform bill. Even with this bump in the road, the House can and must consider other immigration reform proposals. In fact, this development frees up champions from both parties to move forward and re-engage House leadership, which has yet to demonstrate that it is serious about genuine reform.
We need representatives to put direct and critical pressure on House leadership to take up immigration reform immediately. There are currently enough bipartisan votes in the House to pass a bill with a path to citizenship. The continual stalling by House leaders thwarts the will of a majority of Representatives and the desire of the American public.
None of the bills that have come out of House committees contain a path to citizenship. One such bill, the so-called SAFE Act” (H.R. 2278) is a very dangerous bill that would make Arizona’s S.B 1070 the law of the land. This “unSAFE” ACT would increase racial profiling, decrease public safety, and criminalize faith communities and others that provide assistance regardless of immigration status.
All members of Congress need to know that people of faith care deeply about fixing our nation’s unjust and broken immigration system. They need to hear from YOU. Tell your Representative that our communities demand legislation that creates a pathway to citizenship and reunites families, and that we strongly OPPOSE the so-called “SAFE” Act.
Call 1-866-940-2439 to be connected with Your Representative.
You can also call the Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121 or find your Representative’s direct line at www.house.gov.
Click here to learn about additional immigration bills currently being considered by the House of Representatives.
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“I am from City, State, Congregation/Community and as a person of faith, I support genuine immigration reform. I urge the Representative to persuade House leadership to take up immigration reform immediately that creates a path to citizenship and reunites families. In addition, I strongly OPPOSE the so-called “SAFE” Act that would encourage racial profiling and reduce community safety.”
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Keep up the pressure on social media!
Find Your Representative’s Twitter names on their website (www.house.gov) and urge them to support a path to citizenship and oppose the SAFE Act by tweeting @[their twitter name].
Ex: “@Raul_Labrador As a person of faith from Idaho I support #pathtocitizenship & #familyunity. Please support #immigrationreform!”
Follow @InterfaithImm on Twitter and “like” the Interfaith Immigration Coalition on Facebook to receive up-to-date alerts.
What is the SAFE Act?
The Strengthen And Fortify Enforcement Act (“SAFE Act”), H.R. 2278 would encourage racial profiling, eliminate the Administration’s protection of DREAMers, expand immigration detention, criminalize overstaying a visa, and harm both community safety and vulnerable populations. Modeled after Arizona’s SB1070, this bill would also encourage racial profiling, mandating that local police investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest and detain everyone who they suspect to be undocumented or deportable.
The bill would increase and mandate programs that force local police to serve as immigration officials, and would deny states and localities the ability to adjust the implementation of these programs. Many law enforcement officials, including the Major Cities Chiefs Association oppose these mandates. When police are seen as immigration enforcement agents, communities are less safe because many community members stop reporting crime out of fear that themselves, their family members or neighbors might be arrested due to their immigration status and deported.
The “SAFE” Act would negatively impact refugees, asylum seekers and others fleeing persecution. It would worsen expansive laws that have falsely labeled pro-democracy freedom fighters and victims of kidnapping, extortion, and rape as “terrorists” if they were coerced to provide goods or services to a terrorist group. The bill would create new grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for persons whom DHS “has reason to believe” have been members of a gang, even if they were not actually gang members. It would expand the immigration detention system that holds many torture survivors and asylum seekers by mandating detention even when unnecessary and authorizing indefinite detention for persons who have been ordered removed.
This bill would make it a crime to overstay a visa by even a single day and would subject anyone who transports or “harbors” an undocumented person subject to criminal penalties. This would make the act of driving or housing an undocumented family member, neighbor, friend or congregation member a crime, which would be problematic for many faith communities.
More resources on the SAFE Act, including a faith sign on letter, can be found at www.interfaithimmigration.org/NoSAFEAct.
Click here to learn about additional immigration bills currently being considered by the House of Representatives.
