Send a Work Glove... Support Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Dear Immigrant Rights Advocate,

As elected leaders and the American public continue to debate what should be done to fix our nation's broken immigration system, the anti-immigrant forces, led by the Minutemen, are mailing thousands of bricks to members of Congress. These bricks are symbols of division, of isolation, and of an enforcement-only approach to immigration reform.

It's time to show the strength of the pro-immigrant community by doing our own mailing. Let's answer the anti-immigrant bricks with a symbol of the positive contributions that immigrants make to the U.S. -- a WORK GLOVE.

Now, more than ever, immigrants and their allies must act. We must show Congress that all the bricks in the world won't hide the fact that what this country needs is comprehensive immigration reform that values immigrants' hard work and their desire to be reunited with their families.

Here's what you can do:

** Send a work glove to your Senators and Representatives from your garage, your local hardware store, or your place of employment along with a letter urging them to support fair and just immigration reform (sample letter below).

To find the mailing address of your elected officials, go to http://www.cirnow.org/content/en/action_center.htm and enter your zip code on the right side of the page where it says, "Find Your Elected Officials." Mail gloves to their DC offices.

OR if you don't have a glove:

** Visit http://www.send-a-workglove.com/ for a quick and easy way to buy the gloves and have them sent directly to your Senators and Representative. All you have to do is put in your information and the gloves will be sent to Capitol Hill along with the letter you see below. Your name will be added to the bottom of the letter.

The more gloves we send in, the more we show that we will not sit quietly by as talk radio hosts and anti-immigrant activists bombard members of Congress with bricks and letters calling for harsher enforcement of broken laws. Instead, we will counter their symbol of division with a symbol of one of our nation's most respected values: hard work.

SAMPLE LETTER

Dear The Honorable Senator Kyl,

I am sending you this work glove in support of the invaluable hard work performed every day by immigrants across America. Immigrants literally built this country with their blood, sweat and tears.

We value freedom, equality and the American dream, and we cannot continue to deny these same rights and dreams to hard-working immigrants. The United States needs to act and pass comprehensive immigration reform now.

This is not about "amnesty." This is about providing hard-working people who follow our laws with the opportunity to share in the American dream. Immigrants wear work gloves to help ensure America works. We must act and pass immigration reform to ensure their hard work is not in vain and to uphold America's best values.

Sincerely, Your Name Your Address