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Take Actions to Defeat Anti- Immigrant February U.S. Immigration Alert! A Monthly Newsletter from National Immigrant Solidarity Network February 2006 Issue, Volume 13 No Immigrant Bashing! Support Immigrant Rights! http://www.ImmigrantSolidarity.org $2.00/Copy In This Issue: Take Actions To Defeat Anti- Defeat Sensenbrenner-King Bill! (Pg 1) Minutemen Watch (Pg 2) | Immigration Immigrant Sensenbrenner-King bill! News (Pg 5) | Feb-March Major Immigrant Events (Pg 6) | Katrina Resources (Pg 6) Hate e-mails against MISN (Pg 7) Although the U.S. House had passed the anti-immigrant H.R. 4437 -- the "Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005" by House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R- Wis.) and House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter T. King (R-N.Y.) last December. It doesn't mean we lost our battle. While the House vision of the Bill has passed, we still can mount a strong opposition against the upcoming Senate version, which will be introduced and debated sometime in February, 2006. Now that we have finished the holiday season, we should gear up our fighting spirit to build multi-ethnic community actions against the final passage of the Senate bill early this year! Talking Points with your community and elected officials why they need to oppose the racist anti-immigrant Sensenbrenner-King bill (H.R. 4437): H.R. 4437 could make YOU a criminal. H.R. 4437 will allow the government to prosecute almost any American who has regular contact with the undocumented. H.R. 4437 turns 11 million immigrants into criminals. Unlawful status is currently a civil violation of immigration law. H.R. 4437 would classify undocumented immigrants as criminals and “aggravated felons,” subjecting them to imprisonment as well as deportation. H.R. 4437 will disrupt the economy and destabilize U.S. workers. H.R. 4437 seeks to drive out seven million undocumented immigrant workers, consequently disrupting the economy, with no corresponding increase in security or legality. H.R. 4437 will create an Employment Eligibility Verification System (EEVS), which could severely limit workers’ claims, including prohibiting class action lawsuits against the government, and will displace millions of documented workers – U.S. citizens and legal residents alike. H.R. 4437 denies due process and citizenship to lawful permanent residents. H.R. 4437 limits judicial review of executive branch decisions, violates the constitutional guarantee of due process and separation of powers, and, most importantly, strips the courts of their role in protecting the individual against excessive governmental power. H.R. 4437 divides families. H.R. 4437 will separate more American families with its excessive deportation authorities. H.R. 4437 is an attack, not an answer. This is not an antiterrorism bill, not a border security bill, not an enforcement bill, and not an immigration reform bill. This bill fails to address many of the most important elements of immigration reform. Rather, it targets all immigrants for punishment and does not contribute to our security or to immigration reform. We need a solution, not a headline. We want effective reforms of the nation’s immigration laws, not shortsighted measures that appear tough on immigration but do not resolve the underlying problems. Only a comprehensive approach that provides a path to citizenship for current undocumented immigrants, creates new legal channels for future flows of needed immigrants, reduces family immigration backlogs, and protects worker rights will reduce undocumented immigration and bring order to our immigration system. H.R. 4437 does not take us down the path of real immigration reform. (Compiled by National Council of La Raza) 1 Suggest Community Actions • Call your U.S. Senate members, ask them not to support the bill. • Community dialogue/town hall meeting to educate the people the facts behind the bill, and to build a community alliance to oppose it. • Grassroots campaign to push city resolution to against the bill (For example, Los Angeles has done a great job pushing the city resolution. Petition to the Los Angeles City Council January 2006 WHEREAS, on December 16, 2005 the House of Representatives passed Bill H.R. 4437 introduced by Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) which would allow felony prosecution of anyone who resides in the United States without authorization, or anyone who assists them, including, their spouses, relatives, friends, churches, schools, hospitals, employers and community based organizations; WHEREAS, in the last few weeks, anti-immigrant sentiments have resulted in actions that generate fear and insecurity in our communities, such as, the ordinance passed by the City of Costa Mesa, which authorizes the police to act as Federal Agents for the purpose of implementing immigration laws. This situation creates unsafe conditions for all Angelinos. THEREFORE, the undersigned, request the Los Angeles City Council to: 1. Declare its opposition to H.R. 4437 and to request California Senators, Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer to oppose H.R. 4437 and to work for comprehensive immigration reform that would lead to permanent residence and citizenship; and 2. Reaffirm its support for Special Order 40, which prohibits questioning, detaining or interrogating persons solely because of suspected undocumented immigration status. ============================================================================================== Minutemen Watch Please Visit Our NEW Minutemen Watch Page! URL: http://www.MinutemenWatch.net 1/7: Minutemen's "National Day of Action" Was Completely A Failure! The Minutemen's immigration protests organized across the country on Saturday January 7th were completely failure! They only drew small numbers, and some were outnumbered and out-shouted by those who support immigrant rights. The so-called ``Stop the Invasion'' protests were organized by Minutemen in 19 states, demanding the government increase border security and penalize employers who hire who hire day laborers. Here's some of the local reports: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: [Los Angeles Independent Media Center] In a massive outburst of anger and frustration at the minutemen, activists across Southern California found their local day labor hiring center and joined with day laborers to shut down the minutemen's "Stop the Invasion" national day of protest against immigration. Fifteen groups and hundreds of activists, mostly young and of Indigenous or Mexican descent, teamed up with migrant workers at six locations across the San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties, where the minutemen had determined to hold "secret" protests. Glendale Home Depot One counterprotestor arrested in repeat showdown In a fierce confrontation, a hundred and twenty anti-racists stood toe-to-toe with twenty Save Our State members. As they did a month ago, counterprotestors lined up at 7:30 a.m. on San Fernando Rd., with Home Depot on the north side and the Glendale Temporary Skilled Labor Center on the south, to oppose Save Our State. Counterprotestors from Mexica Movement, the International Socialist Organization (ISO), CARECEN, Answer-LA, Latinos Unidos, and the National Day Laborers Organizing Network easily surrounded the twenty members of Save Our State. A dozen police stood by, refusing to separate the two sides in spite of requests from leaders in both camps, as the counterprotestors and SOS hurled demands and insults at each other. The tension in the groups increased palpably with 2 the arrival of the leader of SOS at 9:15 a.m. He no sooner arrived than he rushed through the crowd, ignoring his supporters, and crossed the street, avoiding the more vocal protestors. There he goaded Mexica Movement, who, as last time, stood on the south side of the road in a determinedly disciplined line, holding signs denouncing white colonization and genocide of the Anahuac nation. While most SOS members seemed content with waving U.S. flags above signs demanding "Racists Go Home," the SOS leader repeatedly crossed the street to confront Mexica Movement and was repeatedly rebuffed and sent back to the northeast corner. By 10:15, the repeated provocations resulted in a scuffle, and one Indigenous counterprotestor was arrested on a misdemeanor battery charge. He was later released on his own recognizance. The day laborers looked on from the center with a mixture of anger and concern, as their very existence was fought out on the street in front of them. SOS has been making monthly unannounced forays to the center to discourage employers from hiring the jornaleros. Save Our State had attempted to derail the counterprotest indicating that their "secret" protest would be in Alhambra, but the counterprotestors weren't fooled. Lake Forest Ganahl Lumber Day laborers join counterprotest, minutemen refuse work Seventy jornaleros and six members of gente unida and Tonantzin Colectivo faced off against eleven members of Minutemen Making a Difference on the southeast and southwest corners of El Toro Road and Jeronimo Road. Lake Forest has been the most recent point of attack by minutemen. Two weeks ago, minutemen convinced the manager of a local shopping center to file trespassing charges and have the police remove the trabajadores from the property, with sporadic enforcement since. Last week, minuteman leader Jim Gilchrist of Aliso Viejo traveled to Lake Forest and begged the city council to to crack down on day laborers in their city. The day laborers in Lake Forest reported that people posing as employers had been inviting them to work, transporting them some distance from the day labor sites, asking for green cards, and, when the workers didn't provide them, abandoning the workers on the side of the road to make their way back to town. In response to the attacks, the workers joined in the counterprotest, raising signs against the minutemen and shouting them down. An activist brought a 2' x 4' sign that read "Heil Gilchrist" and signs for the laborers. She stood on the corner with her message and a Nazi salute for passing motorists. Although the minutemen managed to frighten off a few employers with their protest, most ignored the extremists and found the labor they needed.
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