Saturday, March 15, 2008

SAVE Act update

UPDATE: BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE SAVE ACT (HR 4088):

The chief co-sponsors of the SAVE Act (HR. 4088) are Rep. Heath Shuler (D-North Carolina), Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-California), and Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) who has made a career, including a failed presidential candidacy on anti-immigrant rhetoric. Rep. Bilbray leads the House Immigration Reform Caucus and is a former lobbyist of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, an organization recognized as a hate group by mainstream civil rights and research organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center. For a list of co-sponsors on the SAVE Act, go to: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HR04088:

About the SAVE Act:
  • It would require more than six million employers to verify the work status of more than 130 million workers within four years, regardless of their status, using a federal database already known to have over 17 million errors.

    It would result in 12.7 million US citizens being forced to have an already overtaxed bureaucracy correct their records within a ten day window, or face mandatory termination of employment.

  • It would make it easier for the government to put religious and humanitarian workers behind bars for so-called "alien smuggling" - - mandating penalties up to 5 years imprisonment

  • It would require all local law enforcement agencies to become immigration agents, requiring them to do immigration checks at every traffic stop and domestic dispute…. A policy that has been opposed by leading law enforcement organizations.


Facing the specter of having to run on their accomplishments this coming November, nervous Republicans are scrambling for an issue to distract the electorate from their dismal records. The SAVE Act is just a return to the short-sighted Sensenbrenner Bill (HR 4437) and represents more of the failure in leadership that has marked Republican efforts on this issue. We need leaders who will tackle tough issues and be willing to do the hard work necessary to solve complicated problem intelligently - not offer false promises, empty rhetoric, and cynical election-year ploys at the expense of immigrant families .

The SAVE Act (HR4088) would Require over 130 million US workers to prove they have the legal right to work, it would force employers to submit to using a broken government database, so inaccurate that 12.7 million US-born and legal resident workers are categorized as undocumented workers. Once caught in this maze of bureaucratic incompetence, the SAVE Act would allow only ten days to prove ones eligibility to work or face mandatory termination.

In unsettled economic times, when many Americans are a single paycheck away from economic disaster, the last thing we need is another cynical election-year ploy to play to "the base" at the expense of working families. The American people want real solutions to real problems ... not cheap sound-bites masquerading as legislation.

Call your representative today, and tell them you want them to do the real work you hired them to do, and not concentrate on divisive distractions in hopes of saving their political hides in November.

Tell them to concentrate on addressing these economic problems. Tell them you want them to fix health care for all Americans. Tell them you want the education system fixed. Tell them to fix our broken immigration system. Tell them to stop wasting precious lives and needed resources in a war that should never have been authorized and should not be continued.

Tell them you will not settle for half-baked schemes and election-year ploys ... especially at the expense of millions of jobs that are needed to keep our heads just barely above water in tough economic times.



------------- END OF UPDATE -----------


My buddy Manny from Latino Politico is spending the weekend attending the New Organizing Institute (NOI) blogger conference in DC, and got to spend some time hobnobbing with some congressional staffers. Of course he managed to get some inside dirt on the SAVE Act fight… and it's good news so far

Check out his report HERE

As of yesterday the Republicans had managed to get 181 of the 218 signatures needed to force the SAVE Act to the floor.

Yet, it appears that the Democratic Caucus is holding and only 9 defectors have crossed over to sign the Republican "discharge petition"

(Ga.) – Rep. Barrow
(Ind.) - Rep. Ellsworth
(Ind.) - Rep. Donnelly
(Kan.) – Rep. Boyda
(Miss.) - Rep. Taylor
(N.C.) – Rep. McIntyre
(N.C.) - Rep. Shuler
(Pa.) - Rep. Carney
(Texas) – Rep. Lampson

http://clerk.house.gov/110/lrc/pd/petitions/Dis5.htm


and 26 Republicans have not yet buckled to partisan pressure.
(WV) - Capito, Shelley Moore
(FL) - Diaz-Balart, Lincoln
(FL) - Diaz-Balart, Mario
(MI) - Ehlers, Vernon J.
(NY) - Fossella, Vito
(WA) - Hastings, Doc
(OH) - Hobson, David L.
(IL) - Johnson, Timothy V.
(NY) - Kuhl, John R. ``Randy'' Jr.
(NJ) - LoBiondo, Frank A.
(NY) - McHugh, John M.
(WA) - McMorris Rodgers, Cathy
(CA) - Nunes, Devin
(TX) - Paul, Ron
(MS) - Pickering, Charles W. ``Chip''
(OH) - Pryce, Deborah
(CA) - Radanovich, George
(MT) - Rehberg, Dennis R.
(NY) - Reynolds, Thomas M.
(AL) - Rogers, Mike
(FL) - Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana
(ID) - Sali, Bill
(IN) - Souder, Mark E.
(OH) - Tiberi, Patrick J.
(MI) - Upton, Fred
(NY) - Walsh, James T.
(AK) - Young, Don


But ... Given that 49 Democrats originally signed on as sponsors for the bill, and 26 Republicans are still up for grabs, anti-immigrant forces are still within striking distance of getting this bill to the floor.

Groups like FAIR/NumbersUSA and their minions in the right-wing noise machine have ratcheted up the rhetoric and are engaging in a full-blown effort to move this bill forward.

Like in the last round of CIR legislation, they have engaged in a massive e-mail campaign to get out their followers. Once again they are offering free fax services and on-line tools to flood congressional offices with emails, letters, phone calls and faxes in support of the bill.

WE have neither the money nor resources to combat this on equal footing …but we can do our best.

Contact your Representative today and tell them not to support the SAVE Act….and while you're at it…drop one of those 26 Republicans a line and let them know that you hope they continue to buck the machine and support them for doing so

9 comments:

Unknown said...

thanks for spreading the word, Duke

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't our side have the capabilities to fax our representatives and send these emails?

We've started a blog here in Prince William County, Virginia to oppose the 'Immigration Resolution.' We'd like to collaborate with others interested in a more cohesive national approach.

Anonymous said...

I think that you are wrong on this issue. As a long time Los Angelean who lives in the San Fernando Valley, CA, I have personally watched my local community falter and become infested with illegal immigrants. The result has been a significant rise in crime and a significant drop in property values. I don't know where all your readers are from, but this is effect coming your way soon.
Two weeks ago, I was hit in my car by an illegal and by giving him the benefit of the doubt and NOT calling police, I was rewarded by having him threaten me and attempt to extort money from me.

I understand that this letter doesn't conform to your point of view, but I hope for the sake of free speech, you keep it posted up on your board anyway. Its all true.

Peace,

-J

Anonymous said...

I think that you are wrong on this issue. As a long time Los Angelean who lives in the San Fernando Valley, CA, I have personally watched my local community falter and become infested with illegal immigrants. The result has been a significant rise in crime and a significant drop in property values. I don't know where all your readers are from, but this is effect coming your way soon.
Two weeks ago, I was hit in my car by an illegal and by giving him the benefit of the doubt and NOT calling police, I was rewarded by having him threaten me and attempt to extort money from me.

I understand that this letter doesn't conform to your point of view, but I hope for the sake of free speech, you keep it posted up on your board anyway. Its all true.

Peace,

-J

Anonymous said...

It is great that we have some Democrats taking charge, on this issue... We need more liberals to carry on the legacy of people like Barbara Jordan (D-TX), on this issue. It is tragic that our government did not implement the recommendations of the Jordan Commission, a decade ago.

The only self-proclaimed Socialist in the U.S. Senate, Bernie Sanders (I-VT), has aligned with Lou Dobbs, and the other liberals, libertarians, and conservatives who oppose illegal immigration, and support the American worker and the environment. We need more liberals and Democrats to stand up to their leadership, and support policies that combat corporate greed, and unlawful profit via exploitation.

Through a coalition of conservatives, libertarians, and liberals, the reform movement to stop illegal immigration has the potential to succeed.

Anonymous said...

\First of all, I'm an American citizen and I have no problem with my employer confirming my residency status. If a problem arises with a residency check, I'll gladly go through the hoops to rectify my situation, which I consider an incredibly small price to pay to help the US compel or force most illegal immigrants to return to their countries of origin and regain control of its southern border.

As Arizona and Oklahoma have amply and courageously demonstrated, state laws with teeth that genuinely penalize employers who continue to employ illegal immigrants and which restrict illegal immigrant access to coveted public services and programs can and will eliminate the magnets that draw illegals to the US in the first place. It's called attrition through enforcement, and La Raza, LULAC, the Democratic Party, and the rest of the illegal immigrant-sympathizing crowd cringe at its success.

No system, particularly one managed by government, is fool proof. That being said, some shed crocodile tears for the potential for some legal residents and naturalized citizens to be inconvenienced by an incorrect assessment of their residency status. It’s ironic that illegal immigrant-sympathizers deride the efficiency of government in the context of a bill that would belatedly make it much more difficult for illegal immigrants to find employment in the US; most American citizens would agree about governments shortcomings, which is why there was (and still is) such widespread opposition to mass amnesty. No one expects the federal government to effectively manage the path to "earned citizenship" for 20 million or so illegals who may or may not have records (many of which would be questionable) regarding their time in the US, employment, taxes, etc. If the America-loathing, open borders cabal think the E-Verify system has a few kinks in it, I dare them to consider the logistical nightmare associated with mass amnesty, a logistical nightmare the open-borders folks are aware of and eagerly await to exploit.

As is usually the case with the open borders ilk, they castigates an imperfect system (E-Verify) without offering any alternative solution other than presumably mass amnesty (i.e., "comprehensive immigration reform"). While having flaws (which are in the process of being corrected), the E-Verify system is the best defense the United States currently has to tackle the pervasive problems associated with the presence of millions of wage suppressing, undereducated, indifferent to America, hostile to assimilating, non-English speaking illegal immigrants.

HR 4088 and HR 5515 are vital and overdue tools that American needs to rightly control who crosses it borders and who should be granted one of the greatest gifts on Earth: US citizenship.

Anonymous said...

Wow! Racist comments. The borders should remain open to all. We are a country of immigrants.

Anonymous said...

Is your argument that the SAVE Act is bad because of all the work it involves for individuals, companies and law enforcement or are these merely excuses for you to hide behind because you don't like the immigration laws?

If you're for amnesty or open borders or whatever, than just say so. Stop trying to make excuses by citing whatever ridiculous 'facts' you can come up with to gather whatever support you possibly can.

EIther you intentionally omitted it or you fail to understand that illegal workers have an negative economic impact on our country. This is an economic issue as much as a security issue, and a human rights issue.

You don't sound like a concerned citizen...you sound just like a politician, desperately grasping for whatever tidbit you can - regardless of its accuracy or context - to help your argument.

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