Stop New Assault on Immigrant Rights

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
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Stop HR 10 Before Congress Expands the War on Immigrants!
Call Congress TODAY! See below for phone numbers
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In the past two weeks, right-wing members of Congress have tried to sneak horrible
anti-immigrant measures past the public. These are not just any bills: If passed,
they will be the biggest attack on immigrants in almost a decade.

Recently, both houses passed the "9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation
Act." The version passed in the House of Representatives -- HR 10 -- includes
immigration amendments that were never part of the Commission's recommendations.
Now, without further debate, against the wishes of the Commission, and with complete
disregard for the rights of noncitizens, a group of 21 Senators and House members
will conference behind closed doors and decide whether to keep the anti-immigrant
amendments when it goes to President Bush to be signed into law.

HR 10 would strip the few rights that noncitizens enjoy under our Constitution, and
tear millions more families apart. It would write into law inhumane practices the
Department of Homeland Security has been using out of the public eye and would
reverse the few, hard-fought gains in immigrant rights won over the last seven
years. Specifically, the proposed law would:

- Deny immigrants the right to have a court review a deportation order--in effect,
suspending habeas corpus for the first time since the Civil War (Section 3009)
- Allow deportations to a country with no government (Section 3035)
- Allow deportations to a country where immigrants fear persecution (Section 3009)
or torture (Section 3032)
- Allow more mandatory indefinite detentions (Section 3032)
- Allows Homeland Security to deport immigrants before federal courts have decided
on their case (Section 3009)
- Make it more difficult for people fleeing torture to gain asylum (Section 3007)
- Restrict access to driver's licenses and use of consular ID cards (Section 3006)

As The Washington Post recently editorialized, with the elections only weeks away,
the Republicans plan “to force Democrats either to accept policy they would
otherwise oppose or to turn against the bill itself -- thereby letting Republicans
brand them as weak on terrorism.” We need your help NOW!

TAKE ACTION: CALL CONGRESS TODAY!
United for Peace and Justice urges you to take action to stop this major escalation
of the war on immigrants! So far, House staffers have said that they have received
5000 comments in support of HR 10 and only 15 in opposition to it. If we act now, we
can change what they are hearing!

CALL the members of Congress below and tell them:
"I want you to remove ALL the immigration provisions of HR10 from the final 9/11
Commission bill. The immigration provisions strip people of basic Constitutional
rights, and will tear countless families apart without increasing national
security."

In order of importance, call:
1. Congresswoman Susan Collins from Maine (202-224-2523) - She has the most
influence over which version of the bills pass.
2. Senator Joe Lieberman from Connecticut (202-224-4041) - He is the ranking
Democrat who needs to be told to stick firmly to the Senate bill and reject the
House's anti-immigrant provisions.
3. Senator Mike DeWine (Ohio, 202-224-2315); Congressman Sensenbrenner (Wisconsin,
202-225-5101); Senator Graham (Florida, 202-224-3041); and Senator Voinovich (Ohio,
202-224-3353).
4. Your own Congressperson and Senators. You can call the Capitol Switchboard at
202-224-3121 and ask to be connected. Or look them up at http://www.house.gov and
http://www.senate.gov
5. As many of the other members of the Conference Committee as you can - these are
the only people who will be deciding what sections of the bills will stay and what
will go from the final bill.

Senate Members of the Conference Committee
Frank Lautenberg, New Jersey, 202-224-3224
Norm Coleman, Minnesota, 202-224-5641
John Sununu, NH, 202-224-2841
Pat Roberts, Kansas, 202-224-4774
Trent Lott, Mississippi, 202-224-6253
Carl Levin, Michigan, 202-224-6221
Richard Durbin, Illinois, 202-224-2152
John Rockefeller, West Virginia, 202-224-6472

House Members of the Conference Committee
Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., 2nd, 202-225-4401
Henry Hyde, R-Ill., 6th, 2020225-4561
David Dreier, R-Calif., 26th, 202-225-2305
Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., 52nd, 202-225-5672
Jane Harman, D-Calif., 36th, 202-225-8220
Ike Skelton, D-Mo., 4th, 202-225-2876
Robert Menendez, D-N.J., 13th, 202-225-7919

EMAIL or FAX
(Go to http://capwiz.com/aila2/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6540936
and write your message in the boxes provided.)

IF YOU WANT TO DO MORE, contact:
American Immigration Lawyers Association http://www.aila.org/
National Immigration Forum http://www.immigrationforum.org/
Human Rights Watch http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/10/06/usdom9469.htm
Families for Freedom http://www.familiesforfreedom.org or 212-898-4121

For more info on the bills, Visit
http://www.immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=654

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