Immigration Reform in America

[Seabird]

No one wants porous borders. No one wants illegal immigration. The immigration debate taking place in the Senate right now is about who we are as a country.

The only way to fix our broken immigration system is with comprehensive reform that addresses the real problems, not draconian policies that simply punish undocumented immigrant workers and their families and force them to remain in the shadows. We must not choose a path that scapegoats our newcomers and dishonors our foundation and heritage as a nation of immigrants. However, that's exactly what several Republican Senators are pushing for.

Please speak out! Illegal immigration won't be solved by the harmful amendments some Republicans are trying to attach to the immigration bill that's in the Senate (S. 1348) -- instead, these amendments will only hurt the prospects for real reform and may even prevent any bill from getting passed.

Click here to e-mail your senators now. Urge them to pass REAL immigration reform.

Any legitimate attempt at reforming our immigration system and addressing the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. must include:

a path to earned citizenship for the undocumented immigrants who are here, working hard and paying taxes;
an effective process for families to reunite with loved ones on a timely basis by eliminating arbitrary bureaucratic barriers; and
a future-worker program that contains strong labor protection, job portability, a path to earned legalization and protects wages of all U.S. workers.
Further, enforcement provisions must be smart and pragmatic, and should reflect an honest attempt to secure our borders, target smugglers and increase penalties for lawbreaking employers.

Literally dozens of amendments -- good and bad -- have been debated over the last two weeks. We've had some successes in beating back some of the more harmful ones, like an amendment by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) that would have denied a path to earned legalization and eroded critical due process protections (many PFAW activists took action on this terrible amendment, contributing to the victory). Bad amendments keep coming though, and some are starting to slip in (like another one from Cornyn that would gut S. 1348's confidentiality protections for legalization applicants, thereby discouraging applicants from coming forward and applying for legalization.)

It's not too late to fix the bill, but it will be soon. A vote that would end debate on this bill and send it on its way to a floor vote could come as early as tonight!

E-mail your senators ASAP and tell them to fix S. 1348 and bring it in line with the principles listed above (http://actions.pfaw.org/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=enJHKINrFqG&b=848149&aid=8784)

[Seabird]

BREAKING NEWS: ILIR Chairman Niall O'Dowd is in Ireland today for talks with Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern to seek Irish Government help push for visas and explore all other options. More Later

Statement from Niall O'Dowd

The Immigration Reform Bill has been stalled in the Senate by a procedural vote. This news is clearly a setback but it does not mean that the process itself is dead. This fight is NOT OVER.

Fox News today quoted several GOP Senators who said they were upbeat that the legislation could be revived soon ? even within a matter of weeks, with one negotiator noting that last year's bill was first pulled from the floor by then-Majority Leader Bill Frist before it was brought back up again and passed.

We always knew this was going to be a tough battle but it's not over yet, far from it. We strongly believe that, as Senator TEd Kennedy said, there is no alternative to passing a Bill through the Senate and the House, and into law, THIS YEAR.

Yesterday's failure to invoke cloture* was, as the Washington Post, described it, a "failure of leadership."


We are disappointed that the bill is no longer on the floor but we are encouraged that both Majority Senate Leader Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have strongly indicated that they intend to bring the bill back and to sort out the remaining issues between them.
This is a setback but we do not believe that it means the end of the immigration bill for this year.


WE'RE GOING TO GET THIS DONE;
ILIR on RTE Morning Ireland Click Here (http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0608/immigration_av.html?2256788,242,209)
ILIR on RTE News At One Click Here (http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0608/immigration_av.html?2256920,null,230)

Take a deep breath and get ready to fight for comprehensive immigration reform.
We're not giving up.
Niall O'Dowd, Chairman, ILIR

If you have an opinion you would like to share, please post your comment at our blog (http://irishvoices.blogspot.com/)

*Cloture refers to a procedural vote whereby debate on a bill is limited, allowing the bill to move forward

[Seabird]

Please Call Senator Harry Reid,
Say Thanks For His Hard Work And Ask Him To Bring The Bill Back On The Floor

Call 202 224 3542 And Press #1 For A Staffer Or Press #2 To Leave A Message For Senator Reid

Please Forward To Anyone You Know Who Cares About Immigration Reform

[Seabird]

DISAPPOINTMENT AT REJECTION OF IMMIGRATION BILL 06/08/07 11:03 EST

www.iais.org

Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern today
expressed disappointment at the US Senate's rejection of a
bipartisan bill to reform the country's immigration laws.


But Mr Ahern said he was encouraged that the leadership of
both parties in the Senate had indicated that they would
bring the legislation back up for consideration.


He said the Irish Government would remain involved in
representing the concerns of the undocumented Irish and
would continue to take every opportunity to convey to US
political leaders the urgent need to address this issue.


The White House-backed bill to revamp US immigration laws
was voted down in the Senate last night in what was a major
setback for President Bush.


The divided Senate refused to limit debate on the compromise
hammered out by a bipartisan group of senators and the White
House.


The vote was 45-50, 15 short of the 60 votes needed to
advance significant legislation in the 100-member body
toward a final vote. As a result, the bill was set aside and
the Democratic-led Senate moved on to other legislation.


Any delay diminishes chances that an immigration overhaul,
already an issue in advance of the November 2008
presidential election, can be enacted before Mr Bush leaves
office.


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, and Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, expressed the
hope that lawmakers could return to the controversial bill
at another time.


"I doubt the prospects will get better with the passage of
time," McConnell said. "I wouldn't wait a whole long time to
do it."


The bill had been seen as a breakthrough in a campaign that
has seen undocumented Irish citizens demonstrate in
Washington five times over the past year.


Speaking today, Niall O'Dowd founder of the Irish Lobby for
Immigration Reform, said although it was a setback, it is
"too early to pronounce it [the bill] dead".


Mr O'Dowd said: "The opponents of the bill have not come up
with any real strategy as to how you actually deal with this
massive human issue of the 12 million illegal immigrants."


"It always was going to be difficult, but I do think there's
a reasonable chance that we will see it back on the floor of
the senate by the end of June."


Under the bill, undocumented immigrants who entered the
United States before January 1st this year would be offered
a temporary residency permit while they await a new "Z Visa"
to live and work lawfully.


The head of an illegal immigrant household would have eight
years to return to his or her home country to apply for
permanent legal residence for members of the household, but
each Z Visa itself would be renewable indefinitely, as long
as the holder passes a criminal background check, remains
fully employed and pays a $5,000 fine plus a processing fee.


The bill would also create a temporary worker program to
bring new arrivals to the United States and a separate
program to cover agricultural workers.


Skills and education level would carry more weight than
family connections to decide whether future immigrants
should receive permanent legal status.


Conservatives say the measure would give amnesty to people
who broke US laws, while unions say the temporary worker
program would create an underclass of cheap laborers.


Mr Ahern paid tribute to Republican and Democratic Senators,
and to the White House, who he said have "striven to achieve
a bipartisan agreement on this important matter."


"The continued firm commitment of Senator Kennedy and others
to securing a comprehensive and positive solution to this
sensitive issue is welcomed by the Government, and we will
continue to support their efforts in this regard," he added.

[quirk]

Senate Immigration Bill:
The Clash in the Halls of Power…and the Real Interests of the People

On June 7, the immigration bill that was being considered in the Senate hit a major roadblock—and may have been stopped for good--when the bill's backers failed to close off the debate and move toward a final vote. Democratic majority leader Harry Reid withdrew the bill, and it is unclear at this point what will happen. The bill may or may not be taken up by the Senate again later.

The Senate bill was put together by ruling class "wise men"—a small group of Democrat and Republican senators, working with Bush. In the media, the bill has been portrayed as a “grand compromise” that “balances” the calls for “stricter border enforcement” with a means to provide “a path to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants. But this is a distortion of what this proposed law is actually about.

This is not a clash pitting anti-immigrant, “pro-enforcement” forces against more “moderate,” “pragmatic,” and “pro-immigrant” forces. At the heart of this Senate proposal are: (1) further militarization of the border and expansion of immigrant detention camps; (2) a “guest worker” program that keeps immigrants in slave-like conditions; (3) a “legalization” scheme to force undocumented immigrants to register with the government in exchange for a temporary visa allowing them to work legally and a promise—with many conditions attached—of official permanent residency years down the road; (4) major restrictions in the ability of U.S. citizens and permanent residents to bring family members legally into the U.S., which would result in splitting families apart. Amendments added to the bill before it was withdrawn made the provisions even more repressive—like the one by Texas Republican Senator Cornyn calling for rejected applications for the temporary visas to be turned over to law enforcement agencies, so that immigrants who didn't meet the requirements could be deported right away.

The Senate bill, if it became law, would not represent anything good for immigrants. (For more on the proposal, see "Senate Immigration Bill: A Program for Increased Repression and Legalized Slavery" by Travis Morales, in Revolution #90, online at revcom.us.)

Those behind the bill had apparently hoped to push it through "under the radar" and get quick approval. But the bill touched off major opposition—mainly from forces within Bush's own party (including all the Republican presidential candidates except John McCain) who declared that the bill was not tough enough on "unlawful aliens" and "border security."

The way the bill's high-level backers tried to rush it into law after writing it in secret points to the urgent necessities that are driving the capitalist-imperialist rulers to drastically change the situation around immigration. And the fact that the bill has now stalled—and perhaps died—reveals divisions among different forces in the ruling class as they push for what they believe to be in the best interests of their system. As this article will get into, those ruling class interests are not the interests of the people.

The Capitalists’ "Immigration Problem"

Both the proponents and opponents of the Senate bill in the halls of power agree that their immigration system is "broken." By this, they are NOT talking about the intolerable situation where many people in countries dominated and ruined by the U.S. and other imperialists are forced to migrate across borders in a desperate search for survival. They are NOT talking about the hundreds of immigrants who die each year trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border through remote deserts and mountains, as more and more walls, troops, and military equipment line the border. They are NOT talking about the living hell endured by millions of undocumented people in the U.S.—slaving at low-paid and dangerous jobs while in constant terror of being grabbed in gestapo immigration raids and suddenly separated from their family and friends.

What the ruling class voices mean by a "broken" immigration system is that the current situation threatens the strategic aims of their empire—around the world and here in the "homeland"—and their ability to control and profitably exploit immigrant labor.

It is true that the outlawing and suppression of undocumented immigrants have given the U.S. rulers huge power to super-exploit this section of the proletariat. Immigrant workers have become the backbone of industries like meatpacking and construction and essential to agriculture, various services, and other parts of the economy.

Undocumented immigrants have also been made into scapegoats for the insecurities and problems arising out of the workings of the capitalist system itself that are hitting the majority of people. Through the reactionary media, native-born people—proletarians and those in the middle-class—are bombarded with the message that “illegal” immigrants are to blame for low wages, messed-up schools, cuts in social services, and so on. This is an ugly game, meant to keep people from standing together against their common oppressor—it has to be seen for what it is and opposed.

But there are some acute ways in which the situation where 12 to 20 million people are living "in the shadows" within the U.S. borders has come in conflict with some other strategic interests of the imperialists.

First, it is a big problem from their class standpoint that there are millions within the "homeland" who, by necessity, have become adept at living "outside the law," avoiding the eyes and reach of the authorities. This includes those who come to the aid of immigrants targeted by the state—doctors and nurses who treat immigrants without asking for IDs, churches that give sanctuary to people threatened with deportation, etc. This comes directly into conflict with the whole repressive agenda concentrated in the Patriot Act, widespread wiretapping, and the gutting of basic rights.

Second, the very presence of the large and growing immigrant population brings a diversity of political and cultural experiences into American society. The strategic interests of the proletariat lie in breaking down national divisions among the people, and from that viewpoint this is an overwhelmingly positive development. But the rulers of this country insist that U.S. culture and politics be founded on white American chauvinism—even more so in a time of global war and aggression being carried out by the U.S. In their view, the inflow of immigrants undermines the uniformity and "cohesiveness" of American culture and politics. So they demonize the immigrants, stir people up against them, and demand severe repression against them.

Third, there is the question of Mexico. Just last year Mexico went through a major legitimacy crisis around the presidential elections; Mexican society remains extremely volatile and polarized. The U.S. fears the potential for things to “get out of hand” in Mexico, including the possibility of forces who oppose U.S. imperialism—even perhaps genuinely revolutionary forces—coming to power. They fear the possible social chaos and they also fear the possible political contagion between both sides of the border in the event of a revolutionary situation, and they want to prevent that from happening. This forms part of the reason for the extreme militarization of the border.

At the same time, they need to keep the border clamped down but “moving smoothly”: the military buildup on the border and crackdown on immigrants in the Southwest are threatening to tear apart the economies and people on the two sides of the border that are very intertwined. Capitalists in parts of the economy heavily dependent on immigrant labor are worried that the “guest worker” provisions in the Senate bill are too restrictive and disruptive—especially after an amendment cut the number of workers in the program in half to 200,000.

When all is said and done, the capitalists need the immigrants—both to keep the U.S. economy profitable and because the money they send home helps to maintain stability within Mexico. But they are trying to hammer out a way to maintain the immigrants in this suppressed condition while containing the contradictions it brings. (For a fuller explanation of all this, see “The ‘Border Crisis’ and Revolution: Stepping Back on Some Strategic Dimensions,” Revolution #48, online at revcom.us.)

Their Fascist "Solution"…And the Need to Resist

The government and its armed forces are not moving, at this point, to immediately round up millions of "illegal" immigrants and kick them out. Such a move could cause massive upheaval, even rebellion, within the U.S. as well as in Mexico.

Some key forces in the ruling class are moving to “regulate” immigrants in some different ways—and that is what is represented by the Senate bill. The “legalization” provisions of the bill are, in reality, a scheme to lure millions of undocumented people “out of the shadows” so that the government and law enforcement agencies can more readily identify and track them. Immigrants deemed “undesirable” by the authorities would be quickly deported. The rest would be kept in a highly vulnerable and exploitable position (after they pay thousands of dollars in “fines”). They would basically be placed on parole, instantly saddled with a “criminal” history (for crossing the border “illegally” and using fake documents), and with the threat over their heads of their visas being revoked if they don’t keep to the program—which could mean anything from running afoul of the law in some way to not holding a steady job to not learning English quickly enough. Along with this, the Senate bill’s provisions for a “guest worker” program would create a caste of contract workers who are brought into the U.S. under tight control, exploited for a few years, and then packed off back to their home countries.

All this is in the context of the border being further fortified with more troops and armed agents, walls, and high-tech surveillance equipment, and in the context of other measures like expansion of detention centers to that they can hold 27,500 immigrants each day.

At the same time, they have launched a very fascistic crackdown on immigrant communities—with widespread raids, detentions, and breaking up of families—in order to spread terror among the people. (See, for example, "Chicago: Armed Raids in the Heart of Mexican Community," "San Diego: Fascist Raids and Vigilantes Terrorize Immigrant Communities," "Resistance to ICE Raids in San Rafael, CA," and other recent articles in Revolution, available online at revcom.us.)

But the clampdown on immigrants is stirring up much anger and protest, among immigrants as well as those born here. Last spring, millions of politically awakened people poured into the streets seemingly out of nowhere, in opposition to the fascist Sensenbrenner bill passed by the House which, among other things, called for making all undocumented immigrants into felons. And in the face of the massive raids and roundups of immigrants this Spring, hundreds of thousands marched across the U.S. on May 1 this year—including in L.A., where people went up against a brutal attack by the LAPD.

The fascist anti-immigrant offensive is raising the question: what kind of society are we living in, where people are hunted down, separated from their kids, and deported…just because they have no official documents? A movement has arisen among religious people to give sanctuary to immigrants targeted by the government. Some cities and towns have declared themselves immigrant sanctuaries. The city of New Haven, CT, recently announced an “immigrant-friendly” policy of giving municipal ID cards to all who request them, no questions asked. (Two days later, in a clearly retaliatory move, immigration agents raided houses in a Latino community in New Haven and took away 31 people.) All this points to the potential for even greater resistance to grow quickly and spread further—which would have a tremendous impact broadly within the U.S., as well as in Mexico and other countries.

In short, there are huge contradictions facing the imperialists, and various ways that the moves they are making could backfire on them. Yet they are compelled to move to transform the current situation, and this is giving rise to some sharp divisions.

Left to itself, this current trajectory is not going anywhere good, for immigrants and for the masses of people overall. The situation today is already intolerable for millions. The raids at workplaces and in communities across the country have spread a blanket of terror. This intensifying fascist crackdown is part of the rulers’ efforts to “keep it all together” and put a lid on the politically volatile immigration situation, even if Bush and Congress are unable to hammer together a law at this point. Some reactionary forces envision a nightmarish scenario—where such terror tactics combined with a bristling militarized border will eventually lead to the elimination of “illegal” immigrants within the U.S. And any “solution” or “compromise” that the political representatives of this capitalist-imperialist system may bludgeon through can only bring even more horrors.

All this underscores the urgency for immigrants and those who stand with them to resist this fascist offensive. The demonizing of and attacks against immigrants are the kind of reactionary dynamics that have historically led to death camps. But things are not static and one-sided. In a situation, as described above, where the rulers at the top are being driven by pressing necessities to act on a major question but are sharply divided on how to move forward, the divisions and sharp struggle at the top can create fissures where mass protest and resistance can burst through and change the whole political equation.

A glimpse of such potential could be seen in the aftermath of the LAPD assault on the May 1 immigrant rally, which provoked widespread outrage when people saw images of police shooting rubber bullets into the crowd and beating journalists and others. In the face of this brutality, a determined core of people pressed forward with the just demands of the immigrants, forged new allies, and forced city officials onto the defensive politically. Such developments show the possibility of uniting people far beyond the immigrant communities, and relying on people’s own efforts to taken on and defeat the anti-immigrant attacks and the overall fascist offensive.

http://rwor.org/a/092/immigration-en.html

[The_Fenian_From_America]

I agree we need real immigration change so that is fair for Americans but more so the underpaid immigrants who work the long hours with little pay. The AOH has been fighting to get our 50,000 undocumented Irish brothers legalized. If America will let bin laden's boys in why shouldn't the hard working Irish be allowed to stay?

[ártybhoy]

Welcome to the board mucker.

[Armaghrifleteam]

I agree we need real immigration change so that is fair for Americans but more so the underpaid immigrants who work the long hours with little pay. The AOH has been fighting to get our 50,000 undocumented Irish brothers legalized. If America will let bin laden's boys in why shouldn't the hard working Irish be allowed to stay?

My thoughts exactly, Depending on the source, the numbers range widely - from about 7 million up to 20 million or more undocumented people in the U.S.
The U.S. Should Fast track the Irish ones to become U.S. Citzens or atleast get them all on the track to citizenship even if it does take sometme, I met a lad from dublin who's been in the U.S. for 20+ years and he had to wait around 15 of those 20 years to become a citizen, Now if thats not screwy I don't know what is.

[Seabird]

The immigration bill that went before the senate was stopped because of the American people. I too feel that we all are immigrants in this country, this land belongs to the Native Americans and the rests are squatters. With that said the bill would have been favored by most had the mexicans not behaved as they did demaning the the lower south west states back and taking the American flag down and places the Mexican one up. These action infuriated many and now the irish are suffering for this.The only reason I fight for the passage of this bill is because of the Legalize the Irish campaign.
I hate to say that but it is the truth. I too was totally ****ed when our flag was taken down and replaced. I feel if you want to live in Mexico go to Mexico if you want to live here have respect for the land and people. It would be no different if I went to Ireland and removed the tri-colors and replaced them with our red, white and blue.:eek: Or a brit with the union jack.:mad:

Right now they are asking for people to call Senator Reid asking him to bring the bill back on the floor of the Senate. I am asking you to please do this for the undocumented so we can get this bill passed and move forward.

Armaghrifleteam,

Welcome to the board. Hummmmm it is not just yer Irish brothers but a few sisters too. In fact it is a sister that is spearheading this campaign! Please lets not forget our women as many seem to do!

[Armaghrifleteam]

Armaghrifleteam,
Welcome to the board. Hummmmm it is not just yer Irish brothers but a few sisters too. In fact it is a sister that is spearheading this campaign! Please lets not forget our women as many seem to do!

Cheers Seabird, My apologies if I didn't mention my irish sisters, I had no intenions of leaving out my sisters :( . I've never forgotten our women, Because I was raised in a house and a family of strong minded Irish women lol :D


With that said the bill would have been favored by most had the mexicans not behaved as they did demaning the the lower south west states back and taking the American flag down and places the Mexican one up:)

Thats what I have been debating w/ my family and certain friends, I said you don't see the Irish immigrants/undocumented workers going out and doing these rallies and making fools of themselves, no they wouldn't dare take a day off work just to protest like the mexicans did because unlike the mexicans they value their jobs, Because someone has to pay for them and their families
housing, food, clothes and transportation

[Seabird]

Call for renewed focus on undocumented Irish in America

http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/19433

Published: 13 June, 2007

Sinn Féin Newry Armagh MLA Cathal Boylan has called for a renewed lobby effort by Irish political leaders after reports in America that there is a concerted attempt to revisit the immigration debate.

Mr Boylan said:

"I know that last week there was huge disappointment at the failure of the US Senate to pass the Bill on immigration reform that would allow most undocumented immigrants, including thousands of Irish people, to remain in the US legally.

"However, there is now a concerted attempt to reopen the immigration debate with some of the major media outlets including The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and Washington Post all revisiting the story.

"It appears that Democratic Senators are working to bring the bill back and it is reported that George Bush agrees that 'we can get an immigration bill' and is going to 'stay engaged and work with Republicans who want a bill'.

"I want to call on political leaders from across Ireland to renew their efforts in lobbying the Senate leaderships and encouraging them to bring the bill on immigration reform back to the floor.

"This is an important role for politicians on this side of the Atlantic. We need to send the clear message that we need compromise to allow the many Irish people living and working in America to have their contributions properly recognised and their status formalised. We need to redouble our efforts to support this campaign here in Ireland.

"The Irish community, and indeed many other immigrant groups, makes a huge contribution not just to the American economy but to the social and cultural life of American society. This contribution should be formally and legally recognised." ENDS